Dog Days of Summer
by Predec2
Summary: Brian looks forward to a month of quality time with his son during summer vacation; unfortunately it takes an unexpected and not-so-welcome turn, however. He's baaaack! The return of Tricky the tormentor! **STORY IS NOW COMPLETE!**
1. Don't Worry We'll Get Along Swimmingly

Brian didn't even realize he was humming as he steered his 'Vette into Britin's driveway, but he smiled as he pulled up to the garage and pushed the remote to open it, noticing Justin's SUV parked in its typical spot; that was a good sign that his son was, indeed, already here. He was scheduled to arrive a few hours ago, and Justin had assured him that he would go and pick him up at the airport and drive him back personally. He quickly pulled up next to the SUV and stopped the car, barely waiting until he had turned off the motor before he pulled the key out to disembark. Now actually _whistling_ in anticipation at having his son for the entire MONTH during his summer vacation, he made it into the house and placed his briefcase down on the kitchen desk in record time. "Hey, Sonny Boy!" he called out eagerly, a smile on his face as he waited for the typical rush of excited footsteps to greet him. Frowning when he didn't get the expected response, however, he called out loudly, "Justin? Are you guys here?"

He furrowed his brow when he still received nothing back in reply. Had his partner taken some other vehicle to the airport? Possibly, but that didn't make much sense; there was no need to. The house, though, was eerily quiet. Where could they be? An _aha_ moment occurred just then as he realized where they probably were; he was convinced his son must have been a fish in an earlier life, because Gus practically lived in his swimming pool back home from what Lindsay had told him_. Of course_.

Grinning, he quickly shrugged out of his suit jacket to drape it over the back of the desk chair and tugged at his tie to loosen it just enough to pull it over his head to join the jacket. Walking over to the sliding glass doors leading out to the backyard, he peered outside. His suspicions were confirmed as he noticed Justin sitting on the pool's edge, dangling his feet over the water and wearing his royal-blue swim trunks, Brian's favorite pair, or at least his favorite pair until he took great pleasure in taking them OFF; after all Justin's birthday suit was always his favorite swimming apparel. Just as he suspected, splashing in the water near him was Gus, wearing bright orange swim floatation devices around his upper arms as he kicked his feet and moved his arms in the water to advance effortlessly toward the deeper end of the pool. Apparently his son had become quite adept at swimming by practicing so much in his own pool up north; he reached the other end in record time and didn't seem the least bit nervous or apprehensive. On the contrary, from the look on his face he seemed to be having an absolute blast.

Feeling his stress quickly ebbing away, Brian swung the sliding glass door open and stepped outside in preparation to greet his lookalike son. He didn't even have time to turn around to shut the door, however, before a huge weight was suddenly bearing down on him and he had to hold onto the door's handle to keep from falling down. To his dismay, he recognized the furry missile instantly. "Shit! No way!" he snarled in disbelief.

_Uh, Oh_. Justin turned around in surprise to see his partner standing near the back door, holding on for dear life as Tricky greeted him in his typical, over-the-top, rambunctious way, his tail wagging furiously as he placed his two front paws on either side of Brian's shoulders and efficiently pinned him down against the glass. His tongue was giving Brian's face a thorough bath as he licked his partner mercilessly while Brian used his free hand to try and unsuccessfully push the 150-pound beast away from him.

"Daddy!" Gus shouted out an excited greeting from near the diving board as he grabbed onto the edge of the pool liner and, elbows resting on top of the lip, looked over at his father with a beaming smile. "Look who came to visit you!" he offered helpfully as he grinned over at Brian in happiness.

Justin quickly scrambled up from his place at the side of the pool to rush over to Brian, who had told him he wouldn't be home until later that afternoon. "Tricky!" he sternly scolded him as he reached over to grasp the dog's collar and pull him off Brian. "Bad dog!" he told him as he waggled an index finger at him and tried to look angry. The dog merely continued to wag his tail, though; apparently either he was stone deaf and didn't note the change of inflection in his voice, or, more likely, he didn't even realize he was being reprimanded.

"Aargh!" he huffed out in exasperation as the dog let out a joyous bark at being reunited with his idol and struggled ferociously in an unsuccessful attempt to pull loose from his grasp. "Gus!"

"Yeah, Poppa?" the little boy asked as he bobbed up and down gently in the water and stared over at him.

"Come and take Tricky out to the fenced-in yard for a little while, okay? You can go get his pool and fill it up with water; maybe he'd like that. Your father needs a little time to unwind first."

Brian snorted as he glared over at his tormentor. _That's not what I'd LIKE to do_, he silently warned the beast who continued to try and escape from his captive, lunging toward him as Brian eyed him warily.

Gus locked his arms up straight to brace himself at the side of the pool and deftly hopped out. "Okay," he said as he came running up, sopping wet from not bothering to towel off. Picking up the dog's retractable leash sitting on one of the round, glass patio tables nearby, he latched it onto Tricky's red, yellow, and blue "Superdog" collar with a Superman emblem on it; he turned to look over at his father who was still recovering from his 'welcome wagon greeting' to tell him in the understatement of the century, "Tricky's really glad to see you, Daddy."

Brian let out a gasp now that he could breathe again as he glared over at Tricky before saying, "I wish I could say the feeling's mutual." Gus moved to approach him with the intent of bestowing his typical hug and kiss on his father, but Brian held out his hand, knowing if he did it would be a package deal and he couldn't handle another slobbery greeting from the president of his canine fan club. "Give me a few minutes with your Poppa alone first, Gus, okay? I have something _important _to discuss with him." He stared over at Justin so intently that his partner knew he wasn't happy; of course, he already knew the reason why.

Gus nodded. "Okay, Daddy. Come on, Boy! I'm going to get you your own special swimming pool!" He tugged on the leash as Tricky began to trot after him, his tail swishing high and proudly swinging back and forth like a happy flag pole as they walked around the pool toward the gate at the back that led to a fenced-in area that had been set up exclusively for Tricky. The two men had had it constructed last year when Tricky had come to visit, deciding that at least it would provide both a sense of security for the dog's sake as well as some much-needed physical separation from Brian and his overly-enthusiastic admirer.

"Gus - your flip flops!" Justin called after him in reminder, not wanting to take any chances that his stepson would step on a bee; just like him, Gus was allergic to insect stings, even having to carry an Epi pen around with him as a precaution. He watched to make sure Gus slipped the rubber shoes on before he turned his attention back to his quietly-seething partner.

"I can explain..."

Brian pulled the tails of his shirt out of his pants; his new Gucci shirt, the bronze-colored one that complimented his skin tone so perfectly that he had found at 50% off, was now torn and soiled from paw prints and already hanging partially out of his waistband. He took a deep breath in an effort to try and keep his voice calm as he replied, "You promised me, Justin. You fucking _promised_ me!" He brushed some dirt away from his now useless shirt, wondering why he was doing it but perhaps thinking it was out of some absurd intention of maintaining some semblance of dignity. "I don't believe this!" he fumed at his partner. "My favorite shirt!"

Justin rolled his eyes over the fashion queen out. "Brian, listen to me, dammit! I had nothing to do with Tricky coming here! No," he said, his blue eyes flashing in anger and his right index finger waving in Brian's face as he noticed his partner about to say something else; Brian took one look at Justin's expression and promptly closed his mouth again. "Lindsay called me this morning - AFTER you had left for work - saying that Gus was sobbing hysterically because he had just found out that they would have to put Tricky in a kennel for the next two weeks while he's down here and they're out at Yosemite. I could even hear him crying in the background while we were on the phone, accusing her of wanting to put him in the pound!"

"I'd LIKE to put him in there myself," Brian muttered. "Or maybe he's still young enough to enroll him in one of those prison service dog programs."

"Will you stop it?" Justin groused as he huffed in aggravation and put his hands on his hips; at least Brian had toned down somewhat, but it was obvious he was still highly agitated. _Well, that makes TWO of us..._ "What was I supposed to do, Brian? You know that Gus would not have wanted to come down - or would have had a good time - knowing that Tricky was going to be in some kennel for the next two weeks. Did you want to see your son or not?"

Brian sighed heavily. "You're not playing fair here, Justin; you KNOW I've been looking forward to seeing Gus ever since the Munchers agreed to let him come for the entire month. I just did NOT agree to a package deal with Cujo, though, that's all!" He let out a deep breath as he looked over at Gus who was using their water hose to try and fill a small, blue, child's swimming pool currently resting under one of their large maple trees in the fenced-in area. At least he was _trying_ to aim it into the pool, anyway; Tricky was standing in the way, his mouth open as he caught the stream in his mouth, leaving very little water remaining to actually go into the pool.

"Fuck," he muttered, realizing he was caught between a rock and a hard place. He brushed his hand through his hair as he shook his head. "I was really looking forward to this, Sunshine," he murmured, deflated. "And this was my favorite shirt, too..."

Justin couldn't help smiling at the plaintive tone of his partner's voice. He walked over and slid his arms around Brian's back as Brian hugged him back and placed his chin on top of the blond head. "I'll do my best to play referee for you," Justin promised with a smile. "I know you'll do whatever it takes to make Gus happy." The two of them stayed together, embracing, their solitude periodically interrupted by the sounds of a little boy squealing in delight and occasional loud, happy barks.

"It's going to be a long, hot, summer," Brian sighed. "Emphasis on the _long_..."

Justin pulled back to gaze up into Brian's eyes. "He's not really a bad dog, Brian. Remember, he's still in the puppy stage."

"What happened to obedience school?" He asked Justin. "I thought he was going to be enrolled in that."

"He flunked out, remember?"

Brian snorted. "Figures. Well, then, can't we wait until he passes into seniority until he comes back to visit? They reach old age at what? Three, four?"

Justin laughed as he playfully nipped at Brian's chin. "You wish! I'd say at least seven or eight."

"Shit," he grumbled in dread as Justin grinned up at him. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you're enjoying this, Sunshine."

Justin reached up to tenderly tuck some errant hair behind Brian's ear, sensing his partner's reluctant acceptance of their situation. "It'll be okay, _Dad_," he murmured as he placed his right hand around Brian's neck and softly caressed the smooth skin there. "I'll do my best to keep him out of your hair while he's here."

"Shame we can't keep him out in the new stables with the _rest_ of the horses," he groused, only half-kidding.

Justin's eyes widened in mischief. "Hey, I've got a better idea! Why don't we let him use your new office digs as his temporary doghouse while he's visiting? There would be more than enough room for him, it's air-conditioned, and we could even put a dog door in the entrance so he can come and go as he pleases. It would be the perfect solution."

"No way!" Brian snorted. "Number one - I am NOT letting that mangy excuse for a palomino use my new office space for his flea bitten residence! And number two - no way am I cutting a hole in my brand new mahogany door!"

Justin rolled his eyes. "Well, I'll just have to take your word for it about how nicely appointed it is on the inside...Since you WON'T LET ME IN THERE TO _SEE_ IT!"

Brian sighed. "Justin, I already explained that. The inside is a mess right now, and there're all kinds of hazardous materials stored inside. Even the workmen have to use masks to keep from inhaling all the shit they're working with. I already promised you that as soon as they're finished, you'll be the first one to get a grand tour - after me, of course. Promise."

Justin nodded, trying to keep the expression on his face neutral; unbeknownst to his partner, Brian's new home office was a bone of contention between the two of them anyway; after his converted studio - the one that had been fashioned out of the ground's former stables - had burnt to the ground a few months ago, he had been forced to move his work up to the attic, which had been hastily remodeled into a workspace for him. The skylights that had been installed - three, rectangular-shaped ones spaced out evenly on the roof - did help bring in a lot more light, but Justin found the slanted roof and the longish, cavernous space uninviting and lifeless.

So when Brian had unexpectedly advised him last month that he was going to take advantage of the cleared out space where his now-destroyed studio had been to create a new, state-of-the-art office for _him_, he had been surprised as well as secretly disappointed. He knew that Brian needed more room to spread out his storyboards and other promotional materials while he was working on campaigns - he had seen first-hand when he had briefly worked at Kinnetik how much space an entire client production might require, and the study here at Britin, while spacious by most standards, was sadly lacking when it came to sufficient room for his advertising work. And he understood that he had already moved his art studio up to the attic after the fire, telling Brian at the time that it was 'fine' for his needs. And it was; well, it was 'adequate,' anyway; it just didn't inspire him to do his best work, however.

"Justin?"

He blinked and returned to the present as he looked into Brian's curious eyes that were boring studiously into his. Chiding himself for being so selfish, he forced a smile of reassurance on his face. "I'll hold you to that, Mr. Kinney," he told his partner as he pulled Brian closer. "I just better not find out that you're actually building some new fuck pad out there instead," he teased him.

Curling his lips under playfully, Brian replied softly, "Well, just maybe I am. I have to have _somewhere _to fuck you when the mood strikes me." He slid his arms more tightly around the slender body, his torn and dirty clothing promptly forgotten as he gazed down into the deep, blue eyes that held so much love in them. He knew that Justin was upset about not being able to use the old stable space for a new and improved studio after the fire, but he loved his partner even more for keeping his disappointment to himself and for being magnanimous enough to allow him to use the space for his own purpose instead.

Justin smiled up at him, his initial discontent forgotten for the time being as he replied, "Well, you know how hot I think it is whenever I get a chance to fuck the boss," he told him as the two men came together for a deep kiss. "That could definitely be a perk."

"Well, while Cujo's occupied get your _perky_ little ass over to the pool and let's do some skinny dipping," he said seductively as he began to unbutton his dress pants to step out of them.

"Brian!" Justin tried to protest. "It's broad daylight and your SON is here with us!"

"So?" Brian countered as he reached over to pull Justin's swim trunks down his legs with one firm yank, noticing his partner's cock hard and ready; Justin blushed at the openly lascivious look on Brian's face, one that left no ambiguity about his desire or his intentions.

Brian grinned as he twirled the bright blue, spandex swim trunks around on his index finger like some miniature hula hoop as he shrugged. "He's behind the tree right now, and he's a boy - so is Tricky, God help me; I'm sure they've seen - and heard - it all before, Sunshine," he quipped as he whirled the trunks around faster on his finger and then let go of them in an arc as they plopped perfectly into the middle of the deep end of the pool and slowly began to sink toward the bottom. "Care to go fetch?"

Despite his oddly puritan (but unnecessary) concern over Gus being corrupted - his stepson, fortunately, had his back to them anyway and was busy filling up the dog pool at the moment - he couldn't help rolling his eyes and laughing at Brian's attempt at a new Olympic sport as his partner hurriedly divested himself of his own clothing in record time. Taking Justin's hand, he impatiently tugged him over to the pool, leaning over to whisper in his ear, "Just keep it down, okay - he'll just think we're bobbing for apples," before he promptly pushed an unprepared Justin into the deep end of the pool and, maintaining a perfect cannonball position, immediately jumped in afterward with a huge splash.

As he surfaced, Justin kicked his legs and arms frantically to get away as Brian tried to grab his thighs from underneath the water and push him back down, but with surprising speed and agility he managed to swim over to the shallower end of the pool to evade him. Brian grinned back evilly at him as he treaded water from several feet away, realizing that Justin had backed himself up into a corner, too far away from the ladder or the built-in steps to get away from him. His eyes darkened as they leisurely traveled downward to his lover's cock, bobbing gracefully just under the clear water, and he couldn't help smirking at his partner's reaction as his face turned a delightful shade of pink. Even as a man now, Justin couldn't hide his deep desire for him and it always made him feel very proud of that fact as well as quite horny to boot. "Now I've got you right where I want you, Sunshine," he told him smugly as he advanced closer and closer. "You knew exactly what you were doing when you wore those swim trunks, you little fucker. You know those are my favorites."

Justin snorted as Brian got closer and closer. "Yeah...your favorites to take _off_ of me," he retorted as Brian bestowed one of his boyish grins on him that made his stomach do flip-flops. He held his hands out in a protective gesture facetiously as he warned him, "Don't come any closer, Mr. Kinney."

Brian was enjoying their little cat-and-mouse game immensely, feeling his previous stress quickly evaporating. "Or what, Sunshine? Is there a water pistol up your ass?" he snickered. "You don't look so dangerous to ME at the moment." Although he knew that was a lie - Justin was _quite_ 'dangerous' in his own way; the man made his body do all sorts of extreme things every time he looked at him the way he was looking at him right now, or touched him, or kissed him...He could feel his own cock reacting, hard and throbbing with desire, but surprisingly light against the buoyancy of the water as he neared his goal. He couldn't wait to ram into his boy hard against the side of the pool, his hands braced around that perfect, water-slicked ass as they tongue-fucked each other to get reacquainted and Justin's ankles locked around his waist while he thrust into that perfect little hole, over and over and over again...It had become one of their favorite ways to get 'reaquainted' when Brian came home, but he would never grow tired of their own version of sexy, syncrhonized swimming...

Justin was too overcome by lust himself at the moment to even consider what they were doing or to worry about Gus; he was way too gone by now to think straight as his wet, sexy-as-hell Adonis got closer and closer to him. Brian was always gorgeous, but he thought never more so than when he was all wet from the shower or the pool, water cascading lazily down the middle of his chest like small streams of heaven-drenched diamonds and his nipples were all hard and puckered from exposure. Desire coursed through him in delicious waves of anticipation at the predatory look on his lover's face as all thoughts of 'defending' himself were pushed aside and his gaze wandered down to the lips that were about to attach themselves to his; Brian's tongue flicked out just then to wet that perfect, lower lip and Justin began to slowly close his eyes, knowing he would feel Brian's tongue and lips on his any moment now...

A huge wake kicked up immediately around them as a blond blur suddenly did a belly flop into the pool from a few feet away; Brian found himself swallowing a large amount of chlorinated water as waves sprang up and Justin's eyes flew open in shock.

"Tricky!" Gus admonished the dog as the pooch began to vigorously doggy-paddle over toward Brian and Justin, immediately honing in on his favorite target as his paws made rapid up-and-down motions in the water. He came rushing up to the side of the pool to stare over at his charge. "What are you doing in there? You have your OWN pool!" Gus stood there reproachfully, his hands on his hips in agitation over his 'charge' disregarding his wishes. "Come out of there right now!"

In the crystal-clear water, Justin suddenly felt inordinately self-conscious as he quickly sidestepped Brian and began to swim underwater, _face-down and ass up_, toward his swim trunks now currently residing at the very bottom of the deep end. Diving down into the 12-feet water, he quickly snatched them up from the bottom and tugged them on before he even broke the surface again, watching safely from a distance now as Brian once more tried to fend off his most ardent admirer.

This time, Brian couldn't help the profanity from spilling out, and in his partner's current mood, Justin knew he was powerless to stop it. "Shit! Gus, get this Satan spawn OFF me!" he growled as he tried to push the dog away from him, finding HIMSELF now backed into the same corner Justin had been in previously. "If he doesn't get out of this pool NOW, I swear, I'll take him to the doggy detention center and _forget about him!_ Fuck!"

"Gus..." Justin said, holding onto the side of the pool's deep end as he tried to intervene while Brian continued to unsuccessfully ward off the beast. "I thought we had agreed for Tricky to stay in the fenced-in area." He began to forcefully swim toward Brian, head above water, as Gus ran around and hurried over to the ladder located on the opposite side of the pool in the shallow end, still wondering how to help the situation.

"I tried!" Gus cried out in dismay, his eyes beginning to tear up at the horrible thought of his father sending his beloved pet to 'doggy detention.' He had no real idea what that was, but it sounded a lot like the dog pound to him and he knew what happened sometimes to dogs there that didn't get adopted. "Don't send him away, Daddy!" he told Brian as he hurried down the ladder and tread over as fast as he could toward his father, his eyes huge with worry.

_Oh, Shit_. As Justin came up and pulled on Tricky's collar to finally pull the dog away from him, Brian's heart broke at the anguished look on his son's face. "Gus...I didn't mean that," he hastily told his son as the little boy hurried over to Tricky and hugged him around the neck protectively, his lips quivering as he stared over at his father with a pleading look in his eyes. Brian could tell by the look on Gus's face that the water streaming down his cheeks wasn't from the pool, and he immediately felt like a first-class, Grade A asshole.

He glanced briefly over at Justin, who confirmed to him by the look on his face what he already knew: he had royally fucked up. "Gus," he entreated gently as he sighed. "Buddy, I didn't really mean I would send Tricky away; he just surprised me, that's all. You know I would never do that." Although, truthfully the thought HAD crossed his mind from time to time in moments of extreme aggravation. The dog still managed to drive him crazy every time he was around him, and apparently the canine's fixation on him, whatever the absurd reason (some strange pheromone attraction, perhaps? Who the hell knew?) was unceasing and unrelenting every time he was anywhere near him. Was he going to have to move his and Justin's bedroom down to the basement and throw away the key, just to get some peace and quiet? Or maybe he could start spending the nights at Kinnetik until Gus went back to Toronto. Perhaps the idea of using the new space as a super-sized doghouse wasn't so farfetched after all... No, he knew he was kidding himself. He would do and put up with _anything_ - even THIS terror of a dog - if it meant he could spend more time with his son.

Gus eyed his father warily, still not totally convinced. "You...You promise, Daddy?" he asked in a shaky voice as he hiccupped and sniffled over at him, making Brian feel even MORE like a Number One, first-class, shitty father. Why was it that whenever he felt like he was actually making progress at being a true father he went and did something to fuck it up again? How he wished that children came with a user's manual! The first rule in the book should be: Don't EVER get your child a dog that weighs more than YOU do...Well, Tricky was damn close, anyway.

Brian slowly ambled over to his son, taking care not to get TOO close to Tricky who was straining against Justin's hold on him as he continued to dog paddle in place, his tail thumping wildly against the surface of the water and causing minor waves to cascade over into Brian's face. He forced himself to ignore that as he told his son softly, "You have my word, Sonny Boy. And you know your father never breaks his promises. Okay?"

Gus sniffed a couple more times before he finally nodded. "Okay. I'm glad, Daddy," he told him softly.

Brian smiled in relief now that the current crisis had been resolved. He let out a heavy breath between his lips as he asked his son, "I DO need for you to promise ME something, though, okay?"

Gus nodded as he idly scratched the scruff of Tricky's neck. "What?"

Brian locked gazes with Justin for moral support as he told his son, "I need for you to try and keep Cujo here busy while you're visiting. Justin and I plan on spending a LOT of time with you, but Tricky is still in the puppy stage - God help me - and still needs some boundaries set for his own good. I need for you to keep him in the fenced-in part of the yard when he's outside with you. That way he can run and play as much as he wants without us all worrying about him getting hurt or running away. There're plenty of shade trees back there and now he has his very own swimming pool, just like we do. Okay?"

"But, Daddy, he likes the _grownup _pool a lot better!"

Justin pursed his lips tightly together to avoid smiling at father and son as Brian said patiently, "But he'll have his own space this way, Gus. He'll be perfectly fine in his very own doggy pool. He can play in it as much as he likes and not have to worry about getting in anyone's way; uh...I mean, he won't have to _share_ it with anyone else. Don't you think that's for the best?" He couldn't believe he was having this in-depth, convoluted conversation with his son about the pros and cons of Cujo having his very own swimming pool.

To his disappointment, Gus didn't quite see it the same way, unfortunately. "But he gets lonely by himself, Daddy! That's why he ran up here and got in the pool with YOU!"

Brian arched one eyebrow in question. "I thought the back gate was locked; how did he even get OUT?"

"He...he is really strong, Daddy...," Gus replied in his own defense.

_Tell me about it_, Brian thought to himself.

"...And I don't think I closed the gate all the way. He jumped out of his pool and pushed on the gate to open it. I couldn't stop him, Daddy! I tried to; I ran after him but he's really, really fast, too."

"Yeah, I've noticed," Brian agreed dryly. "Shame he's not a racehorse; at least we could get some return profit out of him," he said as Justin shook his head in reprimand. He shrugged as he returned his attention back to his son and sighed. _ How did he always get himself into these situations_?

"Okay, Sonny Boy," he relented. "I'll tell you what. When your Poppa and I are NOT in the pool, you and Tricky can go swimming in here," he said as Gus's face brought out into a big smile of delight. "But...NO swimming in the 'grown-up' pool until Justin and I are safely parked on the other side of the fence first to watch over you, okay? Otherwise, he will need to use his doggie pool if he wants to go swimming and we're already in here." That was the only way that Brian could think of to preserve his sanity - and his safety. Thankfully there was a large, wooden picnic table under a nearby maple tree that he and Justin could sit at while Gus was swimming with Tricky in the built-in pool. It wasn't the best of solutions, but it would have to do temporarily while his son was visiting for the month. "Deal?"

Gus nodded his head vigorously. "Deal," he said. As if right on cue, Tricky somehow managed to stick his left paw up above the surface of the water as Gus solemnly said, "He wants to shake on it."

Justin guffawed in amusement as Brian rolled his eyes. Grudgingly, he reached out to briefly shake the wet, bulky paw before quickly disengaging; he pulled his hand back before Tricky viewed that as an encouraging sign and somehow managed to break free from his constraints. Realizing finally that he was still standing in the pool without a stitch of clothing on, he asked his partner, "Justin?" Can you take Cujo here over to the back porch and dry him off? I think we've had enough excitement for the time being, and I'd like to go take a shower before we eat."

Justin grinned. "I think I can handle that." Brian could have sworn he heard a silent addition to that statement - _Unlike you_ - before his partner tugged backward on Tricky's collar. "Come on, Boy; time to get out for the time being. I think I might have a big, juicy ham bone waiting for you inside." He gently pulled a little more forcefully on the reluctant dog before Tricky finally began to follow along in the water behind him. A few seconds later, Justin and the dog were walking out of the water via the built-in cement steps, Gus following along directly behind them.

Brian breathed a sigh of relief as Justin clamped the leash onto Tricky's collar and his son asked, "Are you coming, Daddy?"

Justin smiled over at Brian as he looked down at his now softened cock and said regretfully, "Not yet, Sonny Boy. Not yet."

* * *

_Thanks to boriqua522 for being my beta for this story. Will have the next chapter up probably tomorrow...And don't worry - I'm working on the other stories as well! I will have the next chapter of "Parent Trap" up shortly as well as on the other WIPs.  
_


	2. I'm In the Mooooood for Love

_Brian's attempt to pick up where he and Justin left off doesn't quite go as he had planned. Should he be surprised?_

_An Hour Later..._

Brian sunk back into the luxuriously soft folds of his and Justin's dark brown, leather couch in their living room, savoring the shot of Beam in his hand as he watched his son and Justin quietly drawing together on the floor. He noticed not too surprisingly that both of them were lying on their stomachs on the Berber oval area rug, their legs bent at their knees and swinging back and forth in the air as they worked on a couple of large sketchpads side by side; he had observed several times before how Gus liked to imitate Justin's every move while they were drawing, and it made him so gratified that his son loved his partner just as much as he did. The only main difference in their stances was Justin's curvy bubble butt that he was currently admiring under his scrutiny. He mused that somewhere down the line his son would wind up with some attractive physical assets of his own - after all he WAS his son - but for now he would savor the tempting treat practically winking back at him through Justin's snug-fitting jeans. _Little fucker - he KNOWS those are my favorite jeans on him, too..._It just made his previous frustration in the pool even more pronounced; a situation that he was sure to rectify as soon as possible.

He forced himself away from that thought, knowing he wouldn't get his wish for a while yet anyway, as he watched their not-so-welcome furry guest gnawing away on a hambone in the far corner of the room while he sat on his "Tricky" monogrammed dog bed that Gus had somehow managed to bring with him on the plane. He was enormously grateful that Justin had decided to fix ham sandwiches for lunch, because the large marrow bone he had reserved for Tricky was currently keeping him quite busy and more importantly out of his hair for the time being. He had to admit as he warily watched the mutt that he was quite adept at holding the bone between his two, massive front paws as he gnawed on it. He was also a very loud eater, though - kind of reminded him of Justin, in fact...

"I know what you're thinking," was the unexpected response as Brian cocked an eyebrow and looked down at his partner.

"Excuse me, Sunshine?" he asked innocently, rolling his tongue in his cheek.f

"I said - I know what you're thinking, Brian; I see that smirk on your face. I'll have you know that I do NOT eat like that; my table manners are much better than his." Gus looked at Justin and furrowed his brow, perplexed. Tricky never _ate_ at the table...

Brian snickered in amusement that Justin could practically read his mind as he replied, "Well, you have to admit; you _both_ are very enthusiastic connoisseurs when it comes to food. He just happens to like his food a little more raw than you. But I happen to know that you really enjoy some other _things_ raw, though."

"What kind of things, Poppa?" Gus asked curiously beside him; he was holding up a drawingpencil in his right hand as he gazed over at him thoughtfully. "I like raw carrots," he told Justin informatively, his big eyes peering into his. "What kind of raw things do YOU like?"

"Yeah, _Poppa_; what kind of raw things DO you like?" Brian asked in his most polite dinner conversation voice. Justin glared up at his partner, his face even redder than before. _Out of the mouths of babes..._

He cleared his throat as two sets of eyes peered intently into his, one inquisitive, one way too amused. "Uh...Well...I like raw onions - on my hamburger. Especially just before I'm going to give your Daddy a great, big kiss. He really likes that, right, Daddy?" He smiled brightly at Brian's look of horror. It was a direct mandate that anytime Justin had either onion slices on his cheeseburger or ate friend onion rings with his meal, he had to use both mouthwash and toothpaste before Brian would come anywhere _near_ his mouth. Of course, if he took longer than his partner liked, Brian normally circumvented that problem by concentrating on _other_ parts of his body until he got around to it...

Brian stuck his tongue out at him briefly as Justin smirked. "And I like raw umber. That's one of my favorite paint colors."

Gus crinkled up his nose. "Raw umber?"

Justin nodded as he thought he heard Brian snorting under his breath. "It's kind of a golden-brown color. It comes in handy when I need to mix it up with other colors to make new ones."

Gus nodded solemnly. "What other things?"

Brian pursed his lips together tightly, enjoying himself way too much at Justin's expense. He smiled over at Justin expectantly as Justin struggled to add some items to the list. "Well...I also like raw sugar in my cereal. It's rich in a variety of minerals and vitamins, including calcium, magnesium and riboflavin, and it has a high potassium content, which makes it a natural laxative that's good for digestion."

A distinct snoring sound came from nearby as Justin harrumphed in irritation. "It doesn't hurt for him to learn new information, _Dad_."

Brian shook his head as he gulped down the last of his Beam and stood up.

"Where are you going, Daddy?" Gus asked as Tricky looked over at Brian hopefully; as soon as Brian looked over at the dog, he began to wag his tail furiously.

Brian sighed as Justin grinned back at his expression of barely-concealed irritation. "I thought I'd go upstairs and take my shower. Chlorine dries your Daddy's skin out." He waggled his eyebrows at Justin as one side of his mouth curled up. "Care to join me, Sunshine?" he asked suggestively. "That interruption out there at the pool struck a _raw nerve_ with me, and I know just the remedy for it."

Justin's pulse quickened at the sound of his sexy lover's voice; a frustrated Brian normally made for a very _horny_ Brian, and just the thought made him practically drool. That, and the fact that Brian had slipped his dress pants back on but hadn't bothered to button them up; as usual he was parading around half-clothed, even in front of Gus, who was oblivious to his leering stare or the lusty tone of his father's voice. Justin, however, understood his meaning loud and clear.

"Well, it is important to wash the chemicals off, especially with lighter skin," he agreed as Brian grinned at him in anticipation. He turned to Gus to say, "Would you mind, Gus? We'll just be a little while and you can draw some more while I'm gone. I'll take a look at your progress when we come back down, okay?"

Gus looked over at Tricky lying on his dog bed in the corner, still happily munching away on his ham bone and nodded. "Okay, Poppa. Tricky can stay here with me."

"Thank God," Brian muttered under his breath; he had no intention of a threesome in the shower, especially with THAT male. "We'll be right upstairs in the bathroom if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," Gus told him as he turned his attention back to his drawing on the floor. Brian could tell his little boy was drawing what appeared to be an animal; Tricky, no doubt. He was glad his child had such a faithful companion and it was obvious how much he doted on him. It was just a shame that Tricky spent way too much time doting on HIM, too, and driving him crazy.

"Uh, Gus? Can you put Tricky's leash back on his collar and hang onto him until I can make a run for it?"

"Brian..."

"Well, he has four paws and I only have two feet; I need a head start for my own protection."

Justin laughed. "I'll tell you what; I'll hold onto him for a few minutes until you're safely hidden away behind the bedroom door before I release him. Don't worry; I won't let the big, bad wolf get you, Mr. Kinney."

Gus giggled, knowing from his frequent readings of "Little Red Riding Hood" what Justin was referring to. "Tricky's not a wolf, Poppa," he chided him.

"Humph," Brian retorted. "Didn't Mr. P.S.A. tell you that all dogs evolved from wolves? This one just didn't mutate, that's all." At his son's look of confusion, Brian sighed. "Never mind, Sonny Boy. Your Poppa and I will be down in a little while. There's cold water and Hugs," he rolled his eyes at the earlier realization he had made of their fridge being inundated with the miniature, squat, juice bottles that Justin had purchased for Gus no doubt, "in the refrigerator if you need something to drink."

Gus nodded absentmindedly, already returning to his drawing as Brian told Justin, "Just give me two minutes' head start; that's all I ask. Then guarantee me that you WILL be coming." He waggled his eyebrows at him expectantly.

Justin laughed as he picked up Tricky's leash from the coffee table and walked over to the dog. Sitting down next to him, he clamped the leash onto the "Super Dog" collar and held it taut. "Oh, I'm counting on it. Go while you can, Canine Idol," he kidded him. Brian didn't waste time as he rushed out the door, Justin having to strain to hold the dog in place as he tried to rise while still holding the coveted ham bone in his mouth to run after his favorite adult.

"Yet another male totally entranced with you," Justin mused as he watched Brian hurriedly leave.

* * *

_Later that Evening_

Brian let out a deep sigh of relaxed contentment as he and Justin lay in bed; at last the house was bathed in quiet and peacefulness, nothing but a multitude of crickets and tree frogs heard now through the partially-opened, floor-to-ceiling windows near their bed. The sheer, off-white curtains blew gently in the soft breeze that caressed their cooling skin. It was a warm night but just the perfect weather for letting in some fresh, country air.

At first, when they had moved out here together, Brian had admitted he had a hard time falling asleep at night, even with Justin at his side. His partner was normally the best sleep aid he could ever ask for. Just having his partner lying next to him, his smaller body cradled to him with his arms wrapped around him, was always conducive to a sound, restful sleep. Of course, it normally came after some vigorous 'calisthenics' in bed, too, which helped to tire him out. But he was used to sleeping with Justin at the loft, where emergency sirens, car horns, slamming doors, and occasional bangs and creaks that typically came with city dwelling could be heard; in an odd way those familiar sounds had helped lull him to sleep. So at first, it was almost TOO quiet out here.

But eventually, he not only got used to it but he welcomed it. It was calm, peaceful, and a balm to the frenetic pace he always had to maintain at Kinnetik. Tonight was no exception. He had put Gus to sleep in his racecar bed after reading a story to him a short while ago, Tricky lying at his feet, closing the door firmly behind him before returning to the master bedroom to partake in his favorite bedtime activity.

"That was ingenuous of you, by the way," Brian told his partner as they lay side by side facing each other; he slowly caressed the smooth, bare, warm skin of Justin's pale shoulder as he spoke, noticing the slight shiver that rippled under his touch. He knew it wasn't from him being too cold, though.

"Well, I am ingenuous," Justin readily agreed with a grin as he tilted his face up to peer into Brian's. "But what did I do this time?"

Brian reached over to pick up the remote control to their intercom from the top of the bedside table. "Suggesting we put in a whole-house intercom system so we can keep our doors closed, that's what," he told him with a grin as he made sure their own setting was on 'mute.' It allowed them to hear what was going on in Gus's room, but he couldn't hear _their_ conversation - or any other 'noise' - unless they chose to allow that option. Gus had actually thought it was 'cool' earlier that evening (kind of like being a spy) when Brian had introduced it to him. Of course, there WERE a few disadvantages to it as well; Gus couldn't resist testing it a couple of times afterward since he had left the room, once to ask for a drink of water and later to have a jerky treat delivered for Tricky, explaining that he _always_ gave the dog a bedtime snack or he wouldn't go to sleep (the dog, that is) and that he just couldn't reach the cupboard where Justin kept them. After the last time - when Gus had interrupted the two of them right as they were getting good and warmed up - he had persuaded Justin to take the dog his 'treat' and gently advise the little boy that it was bedtime and he could play with the intercom some more tomorrow; he didn't want to give Tricky a treat himself for fear it might give the dog the wrong impression that he actually _liked_ him. Justin had stayed by the little boy's bedside for a few minutes, absently stroking Tricky's fur at the back of his ears, before Gus had finally succumbed to the big day he had had and fallen asleep. A quick, light kiss on the boy's forehead and he had returned to Brian's side.

Brian placed the narrow, white apparatus back on the nightstand as he gently pushed Justin down onto his back and draped his body over the smaller one. "You do come in handy from time to time," he whispered, smiling down lazily at him.

Justin gazed up at him, his eyes twinkling. Oh, "I do, do I?" he murmured, Brian's face so close to his now that his bangs tickled his forehead. "I'm so flattered," he quipped. "I feel just like a Swiffer mop now. Want to express your undying appreciation with more than just words, though? Artists always much prefer the _hands-on_ approach."

Brian grinned as he leaned down to nuzzle the sensitive skin behind Justin's left ear and lay his hand against Justin's cheek as his thumb drew an outline over his lower lip; he knew that made his partner go crazy with desire for him - not that he needed help at the moment. Both their cocks were on full alert already, even though they had temporarily satisfied their hunger in the shower earlier. "Well, I always aim to try and use the proper approach when wooing a client," Brian murmured with a sexy smile as he began to sensually lick a path down Justin's neck, using just the tip of his tongue to slowly leave a saliva-coated path from his partner's shoulder blade down the middle of his chest, his hands caressing the pale, smooth shoulders as he took his tongue on a round-the-world tour of his partner's body. "I'm glad you use sunscreen," Brian murmured unexpectedly against his skin as he paused momentarily in his ministrations.

Justin lowered his gaze to stare down into the playful, hazel eyes as Brian lifted his head to stare up at him. "So I won't get sunburned?"

To his surprise, Brian shook his head. "No, so you won't get any darker. I love your skin just the way it is." He slowly stroked the sensitive underside of Justin's wrists with the back of his hands, feeling his lover tremble with desire as he stared into his eyes, his tongue rolled into his cheek almost shyly.

Justin flushed at the unforeseen compliment as he smiled back at him in contentment. "I'll make sure to get a bucket of it, then, the next time I go to the store." He gasped softly as Brian lowered his head and his lips latched onto his left nipple, his teeth scraping on the pebbled nub teasingly before he bit it briefly and then soothed it with his tongue. "That...that reminds me," he struggled to say as his pulse began to race in response to the exquisite foreplay, "we need a clean bucket."

"What?" Brian asked, frowning, as he lifted his gaze again to meet his lover's. "To catch all the come that's about to be spurting out of you soon?"

Justin rolled his eyes and smacked him on the head. "No, you asshole; I need it for Tricky. To use for his water bowl."

Brian's mouth hung open as he stopped what he was doing, his hands grasping Justin's upper arms as he replied, "We need a _bucket_ for the dog's water dish? Are you fucking kidding me, Justin?"

Justin grinned at the pained look on Brian's face. "It's the only way to make sure he has fresh water all the time; he keeps draining the bowl dry to where I'm having to constantly fill it back up. It'd be the easiest way; I thought you could just pick one up on your way home tomorrow. It doesn't matter what color - dogs aren't able to distinguish well between colors anyway, so whatever they have in stock at the Big Q is fine."

Brian huffed out an incredulous breath, his hard on temporarily forgotten. "First of all, you should know by now that I _do not _shop at ANY Big Q. Secondly, I couldn't care less whether or not I offend Cujo's sensibilities by picking out a color that might clash with his Superdog Collar! And more importantly, can't he just use the fucking bathroom downstairs? There's a BIG water bowl in there already, just waiting for him to take some laps."

Justin snorted. "Brian, I am NOT talking about him engaging in a new Olympic sport and I am NOT letting him drink out of the toilet bowl; give me a break! Do you want a slobbery kiss or a lick after he's been drinking out of the toilet bowl?

"Shit, Justin, you really know how to spoil the mood here...I don't want either one of those from him...now YOU- that's another matter."

His partner harrumphed in aggravation. "Oh, please - just bring home a clean, plastic bucket home tomorrow, okay? I don't care WHERE you buy it. Hell, you can even steal one from your janitor at Kinnetik if you want to! But I'm getting tired of constantly filling up his water dish every hour. Please?" Brian playfully shook his head 'no' as Justin shook his head in irritation; he finally had to resort to asking him the magic question then, his eyes flashing petulantly. "Do you want sex or not?"

Brian looked up at him like he had just asked if centipedes had any legs and chuckled in amusement over his insolence; _as if you could hold back.._. "Are you threatening to withhold your wifely duties from me, Sunshine?" he asked in mock dismay as his hands slowly traveled over to Justin's wrists to hold them imprisoned in his on the mattress; his tongue slowly traveled lower to swirl around his belly button and then to the triangle of golden pubes until Brian's mouth found its desired target and he gave his partner's cock a lick up and down like some giant, tasty lollipop; he heard Justin's sharp intake of breath in reaction as he let go of his wrists to lightly fondle the full, heavy balls with his hands. He knew by the soft pants he could hear above him and the way that Justin fisted large clumps of his hair in his hands that his lover was quite aroused, just like Brian knew he would be. He smirked as he stopped what he was doing briefly to comment dryly, "I see you've changed your mind..."

"Oh, shit..." Justin couldn't help the soft moan that escaped his lips as Brian began then to expertly lick his cock in an up and down rhythm, flicking the tip with his thumb on the upswing and teasing it with his hot, wet tongue by plunging just inside the sweet/salty tasting slit. He swiped some of the pre-come with the pad of his finger and brought it up to his mouth to languidly suck on it as he peered up at his partner, watching Justin's eyes darken instantly with lust in reaction.

"Mmm..." he moaned dramatically, although he couldn't deny how intoxicatingly erotic the taste was.

"Brian..." Justin pleaded, his body craving it, needing it. He was close to going over the edge already, and they had just gotten started...

Brian licked his lips and smiled evilly as he slowly scooted up Justin's body, groaning at the friction his motion created between their sweat-drenched bodies. "You wanted something, Dear?" he asked in falsetto, his eyebrows arched in query.

Justin huffed indignantly as he took hold of Brian's head and promptly rammed their mouths together into a deep, tongue-dueling kiss to answer his question the best way he knew how.

_Yep_..._Definitely prefers 'action,' _Brian thought as he chuckled against his partner's mouth. After a minute of kissing, he tangled his legs with Justin's and managed to reverse their positions so he was lying on the bottom. He stared up into the flushed face of his beautiful partner and demanded huskily, "Ride me, Justin. Shit, I've waited way too fucking long already..."

Justin was glad that they had dispensed with condoms a long time ago, because he was feeling inordinately horny himself at the moment and he felt exactly the same way; _would he ever grow tired of this man_? _Hell, no_, he decided. Reaching over to snag the always-ready tube of lube sitting on their nightstand, he popped the top open and squirted a generous dab of the clear gel onto his fingers, noticing Brian watching him intently with darkened eyes; he knew Brian always got so turned on when he applied the lube himself to his dick. Smiling down sexily at him, he rubbed the gel between his palms to warm it up slightly before he began to slather it on Brian's silky, hard cock in an up and down motion, hearing Brian's breath speeding up in appreciation. His ministrations were sure, rhythmic, and confident - confident in just how to arouse Brian perfectly. Even now it thrilled him to think that this man, this gorgeous god of a man, was his - ALL his.

"Justin..." Brian curled his body up off the bed slightly in silent urging for his lover to get on with it; his hands grasped the soft, rounded curves of Justin's ass cheeks as his partner rose up on his knees and straddled Brian's thighs to look impishly down at him, knowing exactly what he was doing to him and enjoying every minute of it. _God,_ he couldn't help thinking as Justin stared at him with those incredible, twinkling, blue eyes. His face was flushed pink with his need for him and he was giving him one of those tender, loving smiles that always made his heart skitter; his skin was lightly sprinkled with sweat even though they had just barely gotten started, giving his skin an even softer glow in the subdued lighting of their bedroom. _So fucking beautiful...God..._

Justin placed his hands on Brian's shoulders to lean in and give him a passionate kiss for several seconds before he pulled back and pressed up on his knees to rise and line his body up with his lover's cock. "Slow or fast?" he murmured to Brian, licking his lips in anticipation as his right hand curled around the shaft.

"You _know_ what I want," Brian quickly told him with a growl of verification. "I had a hard day at work, and now I want a hard _night_...Give it to me, Justin. Fuck my cock NOW."

"Your wish is my command," Justin murmured with a smile as he promptly sank down on Brian's dick without any further preamble; as always their bodies lined up perfectly together, warm flesh slapping against flesh. Even though they had been having sex void of any barriers for months now, it still was the most exquisitely amazing feeling he had ever experienced, the most intimate act in the world to be possessed by this magnificent man body and soul with nothing between them except their love for each other.

Brian groaned loudly in response as he arched up off the bed to meet Justin's movements as they rammed together over and over again. Justin wriggled his ass just enough to expertly aim Brian's dick perfectly right so it would hit his prostate each time as he, too, moaned loudly as they began to speed up their erotic dance.

"Fuck!" he cried out as their bodies began to rock together now as one, the almost violent force making Justin grunt on each down swing. They were so lost in their desire for each other that at first they failed to notice some _other_ noise amidst their lovemaking that was almost keeping exact time with their frantic, sensuous movements.

_"Mooooooo...Mooooooo...Mooooooo!"  
_

"Oh, fuck, Brian, so good!" Justin called out, deliriously lost in ecstasy as he continued his erotic ride, loving the feel of his partner's girth surrounding his walls; the sensation of being with Brian raw was almost to the point of being indescribable and all he could focus on was that moment, that glorious moment. "So hot," he moaned as Brian's body rose to meet him thrust for thrust on each down stroke. "God, touch me, Brian, touch me, can't hold out much longer," he warned him as Brian reached up and began to roughly work his cock, his hand sliding up and down possessively on the silky, hot shaft as he tried to bring him ever closer to climax, feeling his own release imminent.

_"Mooooooo...Mooooooo...Mooooooo!"  
_

Something registered as strange, out of place, and Brian couldn't help frowning in the midst of their frenzied activity while Justin's ass muscles clenched ferociously around his cock in an effort to make him come; an odd sound was slowly seeping into his mind as something that didn't belong to their current circumstances, a familiar sound out in the country, true, but definitely not one naturally heard in their bedroom and certainly not one while they were making love. He could feel Justin's pulse racing under his touch and knew that his lover couldn't hold back much longer, but he couldn't ignore that sound any more, either. "Justin..." He stopped pumping his hand up and down on Justin's cock and his body stilled in reaction.

Justin couldn't believe Brian had just stopped, right as he was about to come; his cock was unbearably hard and aching for sweet surrender. "What?" he asked breathlessly, his chest heaving up and down. "Why'd you stop?" He was panting rapidly from their exertion and could feel Brian's heart pounding rapidly beneath his hand like a baby bird's. "Brian?" he pressed, wanting, _needing_ desperately to come.

"Listen..."

Justin looked at him, perplexed. "What the fuck, Brian?" He asked, a little perturbed by his inexplicable actions. He started to lift himself up to ram his ass back down on Brian's cock when all of a sudden the noise sounded again and he, too, had to stop to listen.

_"Mooooooo...Mooooooo...Mooooooo!"  
_

He looked down at Brian in confusion. "That, that noise...what IS that?"

_"Mooooooo...Mooooooo...Mooooooo!"  
_

Justin stared down at his partner as he heard the noise clearly coming from Gus's intercom this time. "Is that a...? It sounds like a...oh, shit." He clamped his hand over his mouth in recognition.

Brian flopped down onto the bed in disbelief. "I think it's called a COW, Justin. And it's killing the moooooood."

Justin looked at Brian's pained, incredulous expression for a few seconds before he couldn't help it; it was just too damn comical.

"It's NOT funny, Justin!" Brian cried out indignantly as his partner burst out laughing. To his dismay, his cock was slowly softening, too, as Justin sat there on top of him and continued to titter in glee. "What the fuck, Justin? How could a cow be in Gus's room?"

Justin languidly caressed Brian's biceps as he informed him, "It's Tricky's dog toy; he must have gotten it out of his toy box and started chewing on it; you know how he likes to roam around at night. It has a sound chip in it that moos whenever he squeezes it a certain way. It's his favorite toy."

Brian looked up at him disbelievingly, his hands still clamped around Justin's curvy ass, his fingers pressed into the delicate skin. "You have GOT to be fucking me," he told him.

Justin shrugged with a grin. "He has sophisticated taste. He doesn't _like_ the ones that just squeak. He has a frog, too, that croaks that he plays with sometimes," he advised him helpfully. "But the cow's his favorite."

_"Mooooooo...Mooooooo...Mooooooo!"  
_

Justin found HIMSELF squeaking as Brian abruptly threw him off his body and sat up in bed, brushing his hand through his hair in agitation. "Brian..."

"Well, his frog's not the ONLY thing that's about to croak!" he growled as he twisted his body and began to rise from the bed. He looked down in dismay at his now-flaccid cock. "I can't believe this," he muttered as Justin reached over to intercept him. "How is Gus even sleeping _through _that shit?"

"You know what a heavy sleeper he is," Justin pointed out reasonably as he clamped his fingers around Brian's wrist to keep him in place. "I'm sure he hasn't even woken up. Just let it go, Brian." He pulled on his lover to get him closer to his side as he stared over at him in that way that he knew always got him what he wanted. "Stay," he whispered sexily, his eyes shining with mischief. "I'll turn off the intercom for the rest of the night and promise to get you back IN the _mooooood _in no time." Noticing Brian's eyes slowly raking appreciatively down his tousled, sweaty body, he turned away from him long enough to reach for the intercom unit, hearing one more round of 'moos' before he pressed the button to the 'off' position and turned back around to face his partner, the room now blissfully bathed in peacefulness.

Brian lay back down on his side, facing him, as Justin reached over to begin stroking his lover's cock, feeling it quickly coming alive again under his ministrations.

He laughed, squirming as Brian pounced on top of him and began to tickle him mercilessly.

"Br...Brian! What are you DOING?"

Brian smiled as he stopped and held Justin by the waist, his knees on either side of the slender body keeping his weight from crushing him. Justin could feel his lover's cock lying half-erect between them now as Brian told him, "I was just making sure you didn't moo when I squeezed YOU; after all, you're MY _favorite toy."_

* * *

_A/N: Thanks to my beta, boriqua522.:)_


	3. Slip Sliding Away

_Next Morning_

"Hi, Daddy!" Gus chirped out happily as he waved at his father from his place at the kitchen table. "Poppa made me pancakes! Want some?" He held a forkful up for Brian's inspection, the syrup dripping down onto his plate as Brian walked over to pour himself some coffee.

He smiled amusingly over at his son, so thankful at how happy a little boy he always seemed to be as he shook his head. "No, thanks, Sonny Boy," he said as he leaned over and gave Justin a kiss on the cheek, earning a smile in return from his lover. "I'll just drink my coffee and have some toast." He scooped an outrageous amount of sugar into his mug from the nearby sugar bowl as Justin shook his head in amazement. From the first day they had met, Brian had astounded him by his preference for such sweet coffee, especially with his adherence to more healthy eating habits most of the time. By now, though, he was used to it as he scooted back from his place at the table and walked over at the sound of the toast popping up to pluck two whole wheat slices onto a nearby plate.

He handed them over to Brian, who looked around suddenly in realization and asked, "Where's Cujo?"

Justin grinned. "Gus let him outside to do his business a little while ago. Why...Are you missing him?"

"Want me to go get him, Daddy?" Gus offered helpfully; his voice was muffled by way too many bites of pancake in his mouth, but Brian managed to understand him just the same as he quickly shook his head.

He thought he heard Justin bite back a laugh as he told him hastily, "No, no, Gus. Let him be. I'm sure I'll see him soon enough," he added dryly. He glanced over at Justin meaningfully before he asked his son, "Did you have a good night's sleep, Gus? Nothing..._unusual_ happen to make you wake up during the night?" He was curious to explore Justin's theory about just how well his son had slept through the 'cattle calls.' He found it hard to believe that _anyone_ could have slept through what HE had heard last night. And he thought JUSTIN was loud when they had sex! Thank God for two-way mute buttons...

To his chagrin, Gus shook his head as he returned to his breakfast, grabbing his plastic glass of chocolate milk to down a big swig; his face had a definite brown mustache look to it as he wiped his face with his sleeve. "No, Daddy! I LIKE my racecar bed! It's great!"

"Gus...Use your napkin," Justin requested quietly as the little boy nodded and reached for his white paper napkin lying in his nap; he gave Brian a smug, _'told you so' _look as he triumphantly smiled over at Brian's son. Gus haphazardly rubbed his napkin against his mouth before placing it back down on his lap to resume eating, perched with his left leg folded underneath him so he could sit up higher at the table.

Thinking he saw a movement out of the corner of his eye, Justin turned his head to peer through the partially opened, large bay greenhouse window that was situated over the sink and offered an expansive view of the backyard, but he saw nothing. He frowned, the slight tendrils of concern beginning to sprout. "I don't see Tricky out there anywhere," he told Brian. "Maybe I'd better go check on him." From his viewpoint, it wasn't possible to see every inch of grass behind the house, but he knew if the dog ever ran off, Gus would be devastated if anything ever happened to him.

Brian walked over to gaze out the window next to him, seeing nothing, either. "Gus, you DID put him inside the fence and made sure to close the gate back, didn't you?"

Gus nodded. "Yeah, Daddy. I closed it good."

Brian nodded back at him as Justin wiped his hands on a nearby kitchen towel and began to walk toward the backdoors. "I'll just go check on him," he told them as he slid one of the doors open and stepped outside. "I'm sure he's over by one of the trees," he quickly assured Gus, not wanting to worry him needlessly. "You finish your breakfast and I'll be right back." To his relief, Gus nodded before he proceeded to stab another bite of his pancake and stuff it in his mouth. _At least he HOPED there was nothing to worry about..._

"Tricky?" He called out loudly. He craned his neck toward the rear of the pool where the fenced-in portion of their yard was, but his vision was obstructed by the thicket of trees situated inside and the dog was nowhere to be seen. "Tricky?" he called out again. "Where are you, boy?" He was starting to get worried now - even though he was runner-up to Brian when it came to the dog's 'popularity poll,' he still would normally come bounding up to him whenever he called him. He bit his lip as his anxiety level began to rise even further. Just then, he thought he heard some sort of odd sound, but couldn't quite figure out what it was. Walking around the perimeter of the pool to get closer to where he had heard the sound coming from, he slowly approached the gate and swept his gaze around the area, focusing on the tree where Tricky's pool was located, and his eyes widened in alarm at the unexpected sight. "Oh, shit. Brian! Get OUT here NOW!"

"Stay there, Gus!" Brian ordered his son immediately as he heard the urgency in his partner's voice. Fearing something awful had happened to his son's dearest, most cherished companion, he rushed outside, frantically looking around for his partner. "Justin! Where are you?"

"Over by Tricky's pool!" he heard him call out as he ran toward the gate at breakneck speed, fearing the worst.

Not bothering to latch the gate back as he flung it open, Brian made a bee line toward the right where Tricky's baby/doggie pool was located under a large maple tree, noticing Justin had his back to him looking at something. "What is it?" he called out nervously, afraid of what he might discover; he didn't exactly like the dog - he was a pain in the ass, actually - but at the same time the thought of his son crying his eyes out over something bad that had happened to Tricky made his heart drop. "Is he hurt?" he asked anxiously. _Please...I can't bear to look..._What would he tell his son?

"No...not exactly," Justin called back, his voice sounding off. "In fact, I'd say he's feeling quite cocky at the moment."

_Huh? Cocky? A Dog? _ Thinking that was one of the weirdest comments he had ever heard Justin utter, he rushed over to him. Once he stood next to his partner, however, Justin's comment made a lot more sense and he sighed in relief. "Oh, my God," Brian deadpanned as he stopped in his tracks. "I don't believe it. How?"

Justin gave him a long-suffering look. "How?" he asked, smirking. "I'm surprised at you, Brian! You of all people should know the answer to that question. Well, the male dog gets behind the female dog and they line up together..."

"No, you asshole!" Brian groused as Tricky and the other dog, a chocolate lab, continued their mating ritual in clear view of them as they stood in Tricky's pool, oblivious to their open-mouthed stares. "I KNOW all about doggy style fucking as YOU well know! What I mean is, how did that other dog get inside the fence if Gus locked the gate back, and where did it come from?"

"SHE, Brian, it definitely is a 'she,' unless Gus happened to pick out a queer hound at the pound." Justin giggled at his unexpected choice of rhyming words as he asked, "Don't you recognize her?"

Brian placed his hand over his mouth thoughtfully as he pointed out, "Gus didn't get Cujo at the pound," as his partner rolled his eyes at the correction. "And it's kind of hard to tell from this angle," he told him, tongue in cheek.

Justin smacked him on the arm. "It's Sadie! The Cranston's dog? The one that's always getting out of their fence because she can scale it like a rock wall climber? She must have gotten out again and saw Tricky over here, and, well...I guess she thought he was a real studly kind of mutt and nature just took its course." He watched as the dog smoothly thrust in and out of the smaller dog as he dryly commented, "He's got a good technique; I think he's been taking pointers from the master."

Brian snorted. "You had better NOT be referring to me," he told Justin caustically. "I don't get off on such primitive humping. I have much better _finesse_ than that."

Justin was about to issue some sort of snappy retort before he started at the sound of an unexpected voice nearby. "Daddy, what are they _doing_?"

"Oh, shit," Justin muttered as Brian chortled at this unexpected development. He slowly turned around to see a very curious little boy watching the action intently, his eyes wide as saucers. "Uh, Gus, I thought we told you to stay in the house."

Gus stared at the action taking place in puzzlement. "Is he hurting that other dog?" he asked wide-eyed, his voice full of concern.

Brian snorted as Justin glared at him. "Will you kindly break that little fuck fest up?" Justin hissed at him under his breath, out of Gus's hearing range. "That's the least you can do." Clearing his throat as Brian moved toward the two dogs to comply, Justin quickly reassured Gus, "No, Buddy, he's not hurting her. It's...It's just another way they have to get to know each other better."

Brian had to forcefully pull Tricky apart from Sadie by the back of his 'Superdog' collar as he heard Gus reply, "You mean kind of like when they smell each other's butt?" He had to purse his lips together to keep from laughing, biting back his own response and wisely choosing to let his more diplomatic partner field that one instead.

Justin walked over to constrain Sadie by her collar as well; evidently Tricky was quite the virile pooch, because Sadie apparently wanted another go-round by the way she was straining against his hold. "Yeah, Buddy, something like that," he told him as he gave Brian a heated warning to stay out of it. "But I think they'll have to get to know each other better some other time; Sadie's owners must be really worried about her just like you would be if Tricky got loose, so I need to return her back to her own yard now. Why don't you and your Dad take Tricky back into the house and I'll run her back over to the neighbors, okay?"

Gus nodded. "Okay." He waved his hand at the other dog in a sort of circular, royal motion as he said, "'Bye, Sadie. Come back and play again some other time. I'll teach you a trick, too."

Brian laughed as Justin let out a weary breath and began to slowly coach Sadie over toward the gate. "Yeah, Justin," he yelled out to him, "tell the Cranstons that we know all KINDS of 'tricks' over here."

"You're not helping, Brian!" he called over to his partner, hearing his laughter continuing to echo behind him. Deciding expediency was warranted, he turned to head over toward the front of the house toward his SUV instead of opting to walk the other dog back. This dog was riding back home in style today, water be damned - for ALL their sakes.

* * *

_Later That Evening..._

Justin grinned as Brian walked into the house from the garage, his combination laptop tote/briefcase in one arm while he swung a large, plastic, cherry red bucket in his other by the handle like some swanky, sexy, updated version of Little Red Riding Hood. He quickly placed his briefcase defensively in front of him and held the bucket up high above his shoulders as Tricky came scampering up to him, his tail wagging so hard it was apt to fall off as he barked joyfully over Brian's return.

"Back off, Cujo!" he warned the golden beast firmly. "Retreat, or I'll send you over to the Pittsburgh zoo; the lions could feast on you for a week."

"Brian!" Justin scolded him good-naturedly from in front of the stove. He turned his head obligingly, though, as his partner walked up to him and bit him briefly on his lower earlobe playfully before he kissed him on the cheek. "So how's my favorite little Swiffer today? Any more visits from the Welcome Wagon next door?"

Justin harrumphed, choosing to ignore the reference. "No, thank goodness. I see you brought Tricky's new 'water bowl' home after all. You mean you actually lowered yourself to stop at the Big Q?"

Brian looked at him aghast. "Hardly. That's what Cynthia's for."

Justin grinned. "Uh, huh - I knew there was a reason why you paid her the big bucks. Well, can you fill the bucket up with water for Tricky right now? He's been running me ragged all day long having to replenish the one he's got," he told him, not wanting to take any time away from fixing their dinner.

"Yes, Dear," Brian said in a high-pitched voice as he walked over toward the sink. He wasn't quite fast enough, however, as he heard a splashing sound coming from nearby before he could even turn on the cold water tap. "What the fuck?" he commented, mouth agape, as he turned around just to time to see Tricky using his front paws to splash water all over the kitchen's wood laminate floor. "What the hell is he doing _now_?"

Justin sighed as he watched Tricky engaging in a sort of rapid scuffing motion back and forth inside the stainless steel water bowl, the water flying everywhere - on the floor, on the walls, even on the kitchen chair nearby. Apparently the water bowl hadn't been empted fast enough this time. "You mean the aquatic aerobics?" Brian nodded as he continued to stare at the sight in front of him. Just when he thought this dog couldn't do anything else strange, he defied him.

Justin shrugged. "I have no idea - he started doing it this morning and has done it at least twice since then. I just think he does it because he can. He's a very tactile dog."

Brian continued to stare at Tricky with a mixture of both amazement as well as exasperation. "He's a very _schizophrenic_ dog; and I thought GUS used to splash water around a lot when he took a bath as a baby." Whenever he had his son over for the weekend - and had to give him a bath - he always took precautions. He had to literally buy a cheap rain poncho at the store to wear whenever his son was in the bathtub with him, or he would get a bath in addition to Gus. Of course, he had spoiled him rotten with way too many bath toys that he played with, too, but that was beside the point.

Placing the red bucket under the faucet, he hurriedly filled the plastic container completely full and, carefully lugging it over to the rubberized dog mat that had somehow magically appeared on their kitchen floor, he placed the bucket down next to it, planning on switching it out with the water bowl; only to receive an impromptu wet, slobbery doggie lick in return before he could succeed. "Shit!" he growled as he immediately straightened back up. "I warned you about that!" He began to back away just as his feet hit the slippery wooden floor and to his dismay his legs began to give out from underneath him. He suddenly felt like an old-time slapstick movie star acting out an accident with a banana peel as he blindly reached out to grab onto something, anything, to break his fall, but nothing was in easy reach to grasp.

"Brian!" he heard his partner call out in alarm just before he landed on his ass and the back of his head came into contact with the hard surface. He was momentarily stunned as he lay there until a wet tongue began to enthusiastically lick him all over his face to 'resuscitate' him. He sputtered in reaction as what felt like a two-ton weight settled itself on top of his chest immediately afterward. _Now I know what it feels like to have a piano fall on top of you...  
_

He groaned, trying frantically to get some breath to speak. "Get...OFF me...shit!" was all he could manage to say before he felt the weight blessedly being pulled away from him, taking advantage of his good luck to frantically suck in some much-needed air; every time his lungs expanded, however, he felt another sharp stab of pain radiate through his rib cage.

"Gus!" Justin shouted out urgently. "Get in here and take Tricky outside! Hurry!"

"Ohhh," Brian winced as he felt pain shooting up from his ass and head where they had made contact with the floor; he turned his head to the side to see Gus come rushing down the hallway from the living room where he had been playing a video game. "Go ahead, you mangy mutt! Just lick me to death now and get it over with," he muttered as he looked over at his assailant nearby; Tricky merely wagged his tail back at him as if Brian were praising his latest achievement.

"What are you doing down there, Daddy?" Gus asked as Brian moaned again in reply. He knelt down next to his father and placed his hands on his knees, temporarily ignoring Justin who was holding onto Tricky's collar to restrain him. "Did you drop that bucket and get the floor all wet? You should be more careful."

Justin would have laughed at the incredulous look on Brian's face if he hadn't known how much pain he was in. "No, Gus," he quickly corrected him as he took a couple of large kitchen towels and dropped them on the floor, sliding them around with his foot to try and sop up some of the water that Tricky had spilled. It was difficult to do while holding onto a squirming, rebellious dog, but somehow he managed to wipe up much of the excess water as he told the little boy, "Your father slipped on some of Tricky's water he splashed on the floor. Go get the leash and take him outside so I can clean up in here."

Gus peered over at his father for a moment longer before leaning over to brace himself against Brian's bicep. Giving him a quick kiss on the forehead where he thought the 'owie' might be, he murmured, "Silly Daddy," before he rose to his feet and ran over to get Tricky's retractable leash hanging on a hook by the garage door. Snapping on the metal latch a few seconds later, Justin made sure the retractable part of the leash was locked in place before he finally surrendered control of the dog to Gus. Thankfully, Tricky immediately sensed that he was about to get to do one of his favorite things and go outside, so he dutifully trotted along behind his young master toward the door.

"Keep the gate locked if you take him off the leash!" Justin shouted at him as he swung the door open and disappeared. He watched as the two rushed outside toward the back of the yard and made sure the dog was under control (well, as much as it was feasible to do, anyway) before he turned his attention back to his partner, who was still lying on the floor, his expensive Armani suit now drenched with water while the still-full water bucket sat untouched nearby.

Justin sighed. This unique, 'father-son' opportunity wasn't quite turning out the way any of them had anticipated. He squatted down next to his partner. "You think you can get up if I help you?"

Brian cast his eyes downward as Justin huffed. "I said GET UP, not GET IT UP!"

"Can you blame me?" he asked, feeling decidedly frustrated lately when it came to the fucking part of their relationship. Apparently Tricky was having better luck in that area than HE was. "No, Sunshine, I LIKE it down here," he finally told him sarcastically. "The water's very refreshing and they say hard surfaces keep the kinks out of your back."

Justin bristled; it wasn't HIS fault that Brian was so irresistible to man AND beast. "You don't have to be such an asshole, Brian. See if you can sit up and I'll help you; why...I don't know."

Brian glared at him over his seeming lack of compassion, but he slowly lifted his upper body just enough off the floor so Justin could slide his arm around his back and help support him.

"Fuck, that hurts," Brian muttered as he finally managed to rise to a sitting position on the floor. "Give me a second," he entreated as he sat there breathing hard, catching his breath and trying to access which body parts were still functioning and in one piece; thank God he hadn't fallen face first - although he wasn't sure you could sprain your cock, he was glad he didn't have to find out first-hand. He grimaced, grunting as he rubbed the back of his head with his hand; he could feel the distinct beginnings of a lump forming where he had hit the floor with his skull. "Great...I always wanted to try out for a part in _The Elephant Man_."

Justin couldn't help sympathizing with him as he murmured, "You'd still be the sexiest Elephant Man on earth, though."

Brian gave him a sideways look. "Gee, thanks. Ohhh," he groaned as he struggled to catch his breath. "Okay," he finally decided after a few more ragged inhales. "Help me here." It normally killed him to ask _anyone_ for help, but he would make an exception in this case if it meant avoiding any more fallout from the next "Mt. Cujo" eruption. He glanced over at the back door a little warily as Justin finally managed to help him into one of their kitchen chairs. "My ass...God, it's so sore..."

Justin snorted, a distinctly unsympathetic sound to Brian's ears. "Now you know..."

"Don't even say it," Brian warned him, his voice raspy with pain as he glared up at him. "It's not the same."

Justin sighed at his partner's queen out as he placed his hand under Brian's arm and together the two of them slowly managed to get him to his feet. "I need to finish fixing dinner for Gus. You want to try and head upstairs before he brings Tricky back in?"

Brian groaned as he took a couple steps. "Can we take the elevator?"

Justin rolled his eyes. "That would be fine if we HAD an elevator, Brian! Come on - quit being such a baby! I need to get you some ice to put on your head so it doesn't swell up any more than it already IS."

"Ha, ha," Brian retorted as the doorbell promptly rang. "What the fuck? Who could THAT be? Where's the butler?"

"Oh, for...Brian, exactly how hard did you hit your head? You know we don't have a fucking butler - or any OTHER kind of butler!" Brian rolled his tongue in his mouth and just grinned at him with a sort of _gotcha_ look as Justin turned and pushed his back none too gently against the wall.

"Hey! Injured person here!"

"Stay there and let me answer the door, okay?" Shaking his head in exasperation, he trudged down the hallway toward the front door, noticing two shapes outlined through the frosted, crystal glass. He cast one last look at his partner to make sure he wasn't up to any more trouble before he opened the door.

"Oh, hi, Mr. Taylor," Deke Matthews, the construction foreman, greeted him with a nod. "We were looking for Mr. Kinney."

"He's a little indisposed at the moment, Deke," Justin told him, recognizing him and the other man as two of the workers for Brian's new office. "Is there something you needed?"

Deke, a stout, bulky brunet in his 50s with piercing green eyes and a slight beer belly, nodded. "We were just heading back out and wanted to let him know how the work is coming along."

"I can tell him for you," he said to the older man. Justin noticed that both men were fidgeting a little on their feet as if they were uncomfortable.

"Uh, I'm sorry, Mr. Taylor, but we were told to only report to him on our progress." He glanced over at his co-worker, a tall, thin, younger blond man in his thirties with hair in a ponytail trailing down his back. "Can you let him know that I'll just give him a call later, then?"

Justin was about to press him further, becoming insulted that as Brian's partner he couldn't be entrusted with some simple information, when Brian's voice sounded from behind him.

"It's okay, Justin," Brian told him as he came slowly limping up to him. "I'll take care of this."

"But..."

"I said I'll take CARE of it," Brian said more firmly as the construction foreman glanced at the two of them awkwardly. "You go ahead and work on Gus's dinner; I'll be fine."

Justin gazed at him in confusion as well as with a tinge of hurt. Brian had just indicated he wanted to go take it easy after falling down and now he was all business regarding the new construction? Why was Brian being so mysterious about his new office? Wasn't it bad enough thinking about how he had taken over his previous studio space without having to keep everything about it such a fucking secret? He thought they were partners in everything; apparently that only applied to certain areas, though. "Fine," he replied in a clipped voice. "You take care of it, then."

_Shit_. Brian knew his partner was pissed - and hurt, he could tell in his voice - but what could he do? It wouldn't be a surprise if he knew about it. _Just a little longer, Sunshine_, he murmured as Justin turned on his heels and trudged back down the hallway. _Then it will all be clearer to you. _He sighed as he stepped through the door and closed it softly behind him so he could talk to the men in complete privacy.

Justin heard the door close behind him and his mouth hung open in shock. Was it that important that Brian keep his new office such a complete secret from him? He couldn't believe how he had shut him out of it completely. "Fine," he said aloud. "See if I give a shit, _Mr. Kinney_." Pursing his lips tightly together, he walked back into the kitchen and strode toward the refrigerator to dig out the fixings for a salad to go with the lasagna he was preparing, trying hard to pretend that it all didn't matter but knowing that it was a big, fat lie.

* * *

"Okay, so how's it going?" Brian asked as he grasped the doorknob for support.

"We should have it all done by tomorrow," Deke told him. "We have the interior finished with the exception of a little painting; that and the installation of the double sink and counter."

Brian nodded, pleased with their progress. His pain temporarily forgotten, he responded with a satisifed smile, "Good - you're actually going to get done before you thought you would, then. I'll be home tomorrow with my son instead of at the office. Any idea what time you'll be wrapping things up?"

Deke looked over to his cohort, who was the painting supervisor. "Around early afternoon?"

The other man nodded. "Sounds about right; depends on when the plumber gets done so we can paint around it, but I'd say probably around 2 or so if everything goes like we plan."

Brian nodded. "Good - call me on my cell when everything's finished and I'll come out to do a final inspection of it. If everything is satisfactory, they'll be a big fat bonus for your crew to go along with the original price we agreed upon. Oh, and one more thing - make damn sure that the windows are kept completely covered until I remove the paper myself - understood?"

Deke smiled. "You got it, Mr. Kinney. And thanks. We'll see you tomorrow, then." Brian nodded once more as the two men turned around and proceeded down the driveway toward the construction site where their pickup trucks were located. He sighed as he watched them disappear. That remodeled space couldn't get done soon enough for him. Finally, tomorrow, he could show Justin exactly what he was working on, and it would make everything a lot more pleasant around here. He hated keeping things from his partner - God knows what had happened when JUSTIN had done the same thing before with that commissioned painting in New York - but this time it couldn't be helped. He let out an anxious breath, feeling a pain flare up in his ribcage again as he took too deep an inhale, before he turned and opened the door to reenter the house. Something told him, though, that the discomfort he was feeling presently wouldn't compare to some _other_ discomfort he would soon be feeling from something else...Or should he say _someone_ else.

* * *

A/N: Thanks to my beta and her amazing memory - boriqua 522.:)


	4. Squeezably Soft

_The mystery surrounding Brian's new office continues to Justin's consternation; Brian's attempt at impressing his son doesn't go quite the way he had envisioned._

* * *

_Later that Evening..._

"How are you feeling?" Justin asked curtly as Brian walked out of the bathroom, a thick, white towel slung low over his slim hips.

Brian sighed softly, noticing that his partner didn't even look up from the sketch he was working on. Justin was presently perched lengthwise on the bedroom's window seat that overlooked the side yard as he drew. Gus and Tricky had been put to bed about thirty minutes earlier, and he had hoped when he told Justin he was going to go take a shower that he would get the hint and soon join him, but it hadn't happened.

He slowly walked over and sat down on the bed, a lot of the soreness and stiffness gone now. "I'm doing better," he finally replied quietly. "Although it's become decidedly cold in here at the moment."

Justin continued to work on his sketch and didn't reply, his lips pursed tightly together. Brian knew it wasn't because he was thinking, however; dinner had been pretty 'cold,' too; just a few degrees higher than icy, in fact. Even Tricky seemed to notice; the dog had appeared more subdued than normal for some reason, even though 'subdued' in his case meant that he merely tried to slobber on him only twice. He suspected that it might have had something to do with his son sneaking bits of his garlic breadstick under the table for him; his son normally detested anything with garlic, but this time his plate had somehow been wiped clean, including any absence of bread. He knew one thing: he definitely wasn't going to test that theory personally by getting close enough to the mutt to detect possible garlic breath.

He sat there in the uncomfortable, tense silence now for a few seconds until finally, placing his hands on his thighs, he rose from his place on the bed and walked over to his partner's side; he thought briefly of taking his towel off and tossing it on the hardwood floor nearby just to get his attention - it always worked before - but he wasn't sure the heavy-handed approach was the best method at the moment. Instead, he opted to sit on the side of the extra-wide, cushioned seat, next to Justin's waist. He let out another heavy sigh as he was greeted with more silence. It was as if Justin had suddenly become deaf as well as immune to his 'charms.'

"Justin..."

Finally, the blue eyes lifted to look over at him as Justin placed his sketchpad in his lap, still holding onto the drawing pencil as if it were a defensive weapon. "What?" he asked simply as he stared at him. Justin knew he was acting like a child, and it wasn't really Brian's fault that he was upset that he had taken over his former studio space, but still, the man didn't have to be so secretive about his remodeling, either.

"Why are you angry at me?" Brian asked him softly, even though he already had a good idea why. He longed to reach out with his hand to clasp the paler one in his, but the strained look on his lover's face stopped him for now. "I thought we had agreed that you would keep your studio up in the attic. Didn't we?"

Justin pondered that. Yes, he had agreed to that - reluctantly. Secretly he still yearned to have his old, sun-drenched studio back - the one that was quaint and charming and rustic. The one that had windows with just the perfect angle in the morning to let in the rising sun's rays - his favorite time to paint. The one that had those great little alcoves where he could set up an easel next to one of the large, panoramic windows or nestle a bookshelf in the middle of it, where he could place his favorite art books or knick knacks. But he knew it was gone forever, and he really shouldn't begrudge Brian the space which he so dearly needed. It wasn't that.

"Yeah, I guess we did," he admitted quietly. "It's not that, not exactly." Justin inhaled a deep breath and let it out. "I just don't understand all this cloak and dagger stuff, Brian. I saw you shut the door and go outside to talk to the construction workers. What is the big secret here? What was so fucking important that you had to go outside to talk to them by yourself? Afraid that I'll find out how expensive your office furniture is going to be?"

Brian decided to brave possible rejection this time as he reached for Justin's left hand to grasp it, thankful at least to find that he didn't snatch it away in a huff. He thought for a few seconds, trying to figure out exactly what to say. He admitted - it _was_ rather strange behavior, especially in light of his fall just before that. It must have seemed like he went from being a virtual cripple to having a spring in his step, although he had been hurting like a motherfucker at the time; he knew he had to speak to the two workers secretly, though, or the jig would have been up before it even began.

"Justin, you're making more of this than there was," he told him as he lightly caressed the top of his partner's hand with his thumb. "They were in a hurry to leave and I just thought it would be easier to talk to them outside. They both had paint on their hands and their uniforms; you know how I am - I didn't want to run the risk of them getting anything on the floor or the furniture. That's all there was to it. And we've already discussed why the windows are all taped up; it's the same reason why they wear masks when they go in and out - so they don't inhale all the fumes they're working with; and the paper is so they can paint around the windows without getting paint on the frame inside, or that would just make the job take even longer. And the longer they take, the more I have to pay them." When no response was forthcoming, he tried to mollify him by adding, "Deke told me they should be done by tomorrow afternoon. As soon as they finish up, you'll be the first one to take a tour, okay? After me, of course," he added, tongue-in-cheek.

Justin peered into his eyes, noticing them shifting rapidly from side to side; there was still something that Brian wasn't telling him - he always did that when he was nervous about something. Was it possible that he was merely anxious, though, because he was mad at him? He never liked being angry with his partner, either. Perhaps he was overreacting as Brian surmised. Knowing Brian's abhorrence at anything that damaged or stained their home's furnishings, it did make sense. In fact, if it wasn't for his son's insistence that Tricky stay with them, he knew Brian would have never let the dog set foot in the house for the same reason; he detested hair, fleas, dirt, and anything else that even whispered the word 'domesticated animal.' And while Brian could readily afford the finest in work materials and furnishings for his new office, he still knew his partner didn't like to just throw his money around unnecessarily, either.

He gazed into Brian's face as his partner arched one perfect eyebrow at him, relishing the touch of Brian's hand in his as he nodded finally. "Okay," he said with a slight smile now. "But I'm going to hold you to that, Mr. Kinney. I want first dibs on a grand tour of the whole fucking palace."

"I thought I already _gave_ you a tour of the palace," Brian said in jest, both men knowing he meant Britin and not his new office. Realizing he had just dodged a major bullet, Brian smiled back at him as he stood up, pulling Justin to stand along with him. Comfortable that he had been at least temporarily forgiven, he took his free hand and pulled at the towel to throw it down on the floor, noticing Justin's eyes automatically flicking downward to look at his quickly burgeoning cock. He lazily smirked at Justin's reaction as he pulled his partner flush with his body. Wrapping one hand around his partner's waist, he reached down to squeeze Justin's own cock through his jeans and whispered in his ear, "Now that we have your tour schedule arranged for tomorrow, how about we take care of my needs?"

Justin moaned softly as Brian began to expertly knead him through the roughness of the denim. "What...kind of tour did you want?" he asked with a grin, even though he knew he didn't need an answer.

Brian leaned down to kiss the soft, warm lips for several seconds, his hand never straying from his target as he brought Justin to the heights of arousal with his mouth and his tongue. Just before he knew his partner was about to lose control, he released both his cock and his lips to back him up toward their king-size bed. "We can start with the bed," he said huskily with a velvety voice.

"I think I've already been on that tour...But I'm willing to visit it again," Justin told him solemnly as Brian laughed.

"Damn straight you are," Brian told him.

* * *

_Early the Next Morning_

The sounds of continuous, boisterous barking and a child's joyful laughter woke Brian up from his abbreviated sleep; he and Justin had decided to take the 'deluxe' tour of their bed, which meant they hadn't stopped fucking until a couple of hours ago, and he was not ready to get out of bed just yet by any means. Why was it, then, that whenever you did not have to get up early that something always caused you to, anyway? Lying on his side, he reluctantly opened his eyes to peer over at his lover, who was lightly snoring away facing him. Obviously Justin wasn't being bothered at all by the loud noises filtering in through the open windows. That was typical, though; Justin could probably sleep through a freight train coming through the house. At least that made his typical method of waking him up quite pleasant, though; give his partner's morning woody a Kinney blowjob and it was amazing how 'awake' he would become.

This time, though, he took just a few moments to indulge himself and savor his partner's beauty. Justin's right hand was pillowed under his cheek and his left hand was resting between them on the mattress. Some hair had fallen over his eyes, and his face was so peaceful and worry-free in his current state of slumber. His mouth was open slightly, just waiting to be kissed, and he had a light stubble on his face. Brian smiled; he couldn't resist reaching over and lightly running the back of his right hand down Justin's bare shoulder, savoring the soft, smooth skin under his touch.

He wasn't sure exactly when he had taken to watching Justin sleep, but he suspected it started in earnest after the two of them had finally been able to make love again after his bashing. He remembered waking up the next morning to find Justin in almost the exact same position, lying there facing him, his body at rest, and he had been filled with a profound gratitude that somehow he had been able to convince Justin to trust him again, to touch him again, to love him again. He had felt inordinately proud of the fact that only he had been able to do that, and he could remember thinking just how beautiful he had been. He still was; even more so, in fact, he decided as he slowly ran his hand down Justin's shoulder to his elbow and then on down to his lower arm. He smiled as Justin's hand reached to clasp his and the blue eyes began to flutter awake, a tender smile on his own lips now.

Brian continued to lightly caress Justin's arm with the back of his hand as Justin asked sleepily, "What time is it? It's still early." He could tell by the way the sun's rays were still low in the sky; in the morning the sun rose on their side of the bedroom windows, making it easy to tell approximately how late it was, and the lack of direct sunshine told him it was barely after dawn.

Brian continued to idly caress his lover's arm as he replied, "About seven."

Justin frowned. "What you are doing up so early when you don't have to be?"

Brian laughed softly. "Can't you hear the three-ring circus happening outside? It may be early to us, but for someone else apparently it isn't."

Justin grinned as he paused to listen to the sounds coming through their windows. "At least we didn't hear any more mooing or croaking last night. I was actually surprised a little by that. Of course, we were a little busy at the time, too, with your around-the-world tour of my incredible body."

Brian snorted as Justin smiled back at him impishly. "Don't flatter yourself _too _much, Hot Stuff. I temporarily removed the perpetrators of said mooing and croaking after Gus went to sleep last night."

Justin's eyes widened slightly. "I'm surprised you could wrestle them away from him; he really loves those toys."

"Yeah, well, it wasn't easy. When I tried to pick up the cow from the floor, he dropped the frog and ran over to the cow and picked it up. Then when I tried to pick up the frog that he dropped, he dropped the cow and picked it UP again. By the time I got done playing hide and go seek with that psychopathic canine, both my ass AND my back were killing me." He flopped down onto his back and gazed up at the ceiling. "Justin, I don't honestly know how much more I can take of that dog, and he's only been here a few days." He turned to look over at his partner's amused face as he entreated, "Couldn't we pawn him off somewhere, even for a few days? Is there a Seeing Eye Dog Institute in Pittsburgh? Maybe they could use him as a substitute for the rest of the month; you know, kind of like a substitute teacher."

Justin laughed softly; he couldn't help feeling sorry for Brian over Tricky's fixation with him, but he knew Gus would never go along with that. He scooted over closer to his partner until he could grasp Brian's hand in his and hold it up to his mouth to kiss the warm knuckles. "Now you know someone would have a fit if you did that_...Dad_," he told him gently. "He'll settle down - you'll see."

Brian huffed as he curled his fingers around Justin's hand, listening to his son squealing and giggling in delight outside in the backyard, undoubtedly over something Cujo had just done to entertain him. "Justin...this is not some unruly child I can rock to sleep or stuff a pacifier in his mouth to get him to quit being so rambunctious! This is a 150-pound wooly mammoth that has the worst manners of any dog I've ever met! He is NOT going to settle down, not now, not ever...Not when _I'm_ around, anyway."

"Now how many dogs have you actually 'met,' Brian?" Justin teased him as he played with Brian's fingers.

"You've been with me to Woody's dozens of times before, Justin. I've seen all kinds of them there; and I wouldn't be caught dead letting any of them suck me off, by the way, much less even consider fucking their hairy asses."

Justin rolled his eyes. "Well, be that as it may, _Mr. Kinney_, you cannot loan out Tricky to one of our friends during Gus's stay. You saw what happened the last time you even hinted at taking him somewhere. Gus thought he was on his way to the Kennel of No Return. Do you really want to risk having a distraught child on your hands? I thought the whole idea was to spend time with Gus and bond with him. Somehow I don't think sending Tricky away while he's here is going to be the best technique to accomplish that."

Brian groaned; he knew Justin was right. He was in a no-win situation here. "Shit," he muttered in realization as he rubbed his hand across his face. He leaned over toward the night table. "I need a smoke - tobacco, weed, anything. Even a big, fat Stogie."

Justin pulled on his shoulder to push him back down onto the bed before he had a chance to pull the drawer open. "You know you gave that up," he pointed out.

"Why did you let me DO that?" Brian told him incredulously. "I must have been high on E or drunk out of my mind at the time."

Justin rolled his eyes; right now he felt like he was living with TWO little boys. He pulled his body over so he was lying on top of his lover as he murmured, "Well, you'll just have to use some _other_ method to relax, then."

Brian's eyes perked up with interest as Justin grinned down at him; his face encased in sunlight where it was streaming in now through the side windows. _God, he was so beautiful when he was all aglow like this. _He placed his hands on Justin's backside before they slowly slid downward to cup the two luscious globes of his ass as he quirked one side of his lips upward. "Well, my cock doesn't feel too _relaxed_ at the moment, but I think you might be able to remedy that."

Justin grinned. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later and both dressed in jeans and sleeveless shirts, they were headed down the first-floor hallway toward the rear of the house when Brian happened to glance into the half-bathroom located near the study and he abruptly stopped. "Shit!" he groaned. "Justin! Look and see what he's done NOW! Fuck! I don't care! I'm sending that mutt to doggy day care immediately - in Tuscaloosa!

Justin frowned; _Tuscaloosa?_ He wasn't even sure where that was, but something told him it wasn't a Pittsburgh suburb. He turned around to join Brian in the doorway and covered his mouth with his hand to stifle the smile he was wearing. Fluffs of white were everywhere on the bathroom floor like a solid field of puffy clouds; even the cardboard tube had been mangled and was lying near the door like a cat's mouse that some kitty would leave on the front stoop like a prize for its owner.

Brian huffed in irritation. "He had to tear up a brand new roll of Charmin? He couldn't get ahold of the cheap shit that we stock for the guest bathroom upstairs?"

"Brian, he can't reach the top shelf of the linen closet," Justin told him as he walked over and picked up the bathroom's waste can to begin stuffing the fluffs of toilet paper into it.

"Good, then I suggest we move all our furniture into there, because it's the only way to protect it."

"I don't think it's big enough for that."

"Shit."

Finished with his toilet paper roundup, Justin grabbed Brian's arm. "Come on - we'd better go see what the dynamic duo is up to now."

"I'm afraid to look - maybe you'd better go it alone."

"Fat chance...He's YOUR son."

Brian reluctantly allowed his partner to steer him toward the kitchen where the back doors were located. "Why is he only MY son when there's trouble around?"

"Tricky, you mean."

Brian snorted as they came to the sliding glass doors. "Same thing."

"Coward."

"Asshole."

"Get going, _Dad_," Justin urged him as he opened the sliding glass door and tried to pull Brian through, but his partner held fast.

"You go first - you can be my decoy."

"Oh, brother." Justin confidently walked outside and peered around. He located Gus right away, standing near the pool playing with a yo-yo, but it took him several seconds before he could find Tricky. Grinning, he returned to Brian who was still hiding just inside the kitchen. "The coast is clear, Dog Whisperer. In fact, now would be a good time to make an appearance, because Tricky is occupied at the moment."

Brian groaned. "That bitch is here again?"

Justin frowned. "No, that's not what I meant; Sadie isn't here."

"I meant Mel."

Justin had to laugh in spite of himself. "Shhh...Cut it out, Brian; Gus will hear you. Come on, it's okay...really."

Brian eyed him dubiously before Justin reached out to pull on his arm. "You'd better be right about this, Justin, or I will lock you and Cujo in the linen closet together with just the cheap toilet paper and a bedpan between you."

Rolling his eyes, Justin grasped Brian's hand as they walked out together. Gus saw them out of the corner of his eye and lit up with a beaming smile. He was wearing his swimsuit already, even though he was dry; apparently he had at least followed through on their instructions not to go swimming unless they were there to watch him.

"Hi, Daddy! Hi, Poppa! Look what I can do! I can do tricks just like Tricky can. Watch!" He flicked his wrist to extend the yo-yo down the ground as it slowly crept along the laminate surface of the patio before he gave it a flip up into the air and deftly retracted it back into his hand. "I bet you'll never guess what it's called!"

Brian couldn't help smiling at his son's enthusiasm. He had a surprise for him. "I bet I do, Sonny Boy! It's called _Walk the Dog_, isn't it?"

Gus appeared a little crestfallen like his father had just butted in with the tag line of a joke. "How did YOU know?" he asked him as he put his hand on his hip and stared over at him in disappointment.

Brian grinned as he and Justin walked up to him. "I used to play with one of those when I was a kid. That was one of my favorite tricks. Want me to show you my technique?"

"Brian..."

Brian huffed out an indignant breath at his partner's doubtful tone of voice. "It's like riding a bicycle, Justin; give me a break." He held out his hand. "Give it here, Sonny Boy, and your old man will show you how it's _really_ done."

Gus handed him the bright orange yo-yo with the gold sparkles in it as Justin surreptitiously pulled Gus a few feet away for safety's sake.

"You've got to be kidding, Justin!" Brian chided him when he noticed what he was doing. "Ye of little faith." He looked at them smugly as he said, "Just watch this!" He took the yo-yo and flicked his wrist up and down a few times to get the rhythm of the string before he lobbed it out in front of him. Placing it on the ground, the yo-yo began to advance forward. "See, I told you I could do it," he said smugly. "Perfect form. It's all in the rhythm, and I've had plenty of practice with that," he said as he looked over at Justin, who blushed; of course, everything with Brian always seemed to have some sort of sexual connotation.

"Piece of cake," Brian said as he lobbed the yo-yo up into the air to return it to his wrist and promptly managed to somehow hit himself in the head with it instead. "Ow! Shit!" he roared as both Gus and Justin burst out laughing. He rubbed his head where the hard plastic toy had hit and bristled in aggravation. As he finally managed to wind the string back into place around the yo-yo, Gus clapped his hands and urged him, "Do it again, Daddy! Do it again! Show me another trick!"

Justin chortled as Brian glared over at him. "Maybe some other time, Gus," he told him as he handed the toy back over to him. "I think your old man may be a little rusty," he admitted as Justin grinned. "I'll just have to practice my _rhythm_ a little more first with Poppa here."

He frowned. "By the way, speaking of walking the dog and tricks, where IS the hairy beast this morning?" He wasn't used to coming outside without being promptly accosted, and he almost missed the adoration..._almost_.

"He's over there," Gus said casually as he pointed over to the in-ground pool.

Brian turned to follow Gus's direction and his mouth gaped open. "What in the fu...? Who does that dog think he IS? Lassie?"

Tricky was presently lying on top of one of their pool's inflatable rafts with a beach towel underneath him as it slowly floated around the surface in a leisurely circle, apparently without a care in the world.

Gus huffed. "Lassie's a GIRL, Daddy!" he hastened to correct him. "He jumped into the pool a little while ago and climbed up on top of it," he explained. "I think he likes it up there."

"Obviously," Brian murmured, not having the heart to tell Gus that Lassie may have _pretended_ to be a girl on the big screen, but in reality he was all man - the first version of a canine trannie...

He was relieved at any rate that he wasn't being attacked at the moment by Tricky, but astounded as usual by the dog's audacity at making himself feel at home. "Holy shit," he muttered as Justin jabbed him in the side to warn him about his language. "What's the weight capacity for that thing? I think someone's been eating too much kibble," he commented dryly, noticing the raft seemed to only be half-inflated.

"Just be glad he's found something to occupy himself with for the time being instead of you," Justin reminded him. He narrowed his gaze as he looked over at the dog. "Gus, what's that stuff on his nose?" he asked curiously, noticing what appeared to be some sort of white pasty substance. Had Tricky managed to get into the toothpaste in addition to their good toilet paper?

"It's sunscreen, Poppa," Gus told him. "I didn't want him to get sunburned."

"Oh, my God," Brian quipped as Justin smiled over the little boy's thoughtfulness. "You think he would like me to go fetch him a pair of my Gucci sunglasses, too?"

Gus began to open his mouth to tell him he thought that was a GREAT idea before Justin interrupted their conversation. "Brian...I think I see your construction crew coming up the driveway. Maybe you should go see if they need you for anything."

"Gladly," Brian agreed quickly as he noticed Tricky had his eyes open now and had that telltale, _I'm coming for you_ gleam in his eyes.

"Gus, I'll be able to see you from the kitchen window if you want to go swimming now," Justin told him, noticing how warm and muggy it was already, despite the early hour. "You just want some toast and cereal this morning for breakfast?"

Gus nodded. "You have any Cap'n Crunch?"

"Gus..." Brian began to explain to his son that they didn't keep that sugar-laden crap in the house, even though his partner would no doubt inhale it if they did. Justin's favorite cereal was anything that had sugar listed as the second chief ingredient; how he managed to keep so slender was beyond him. If he didn't fuck the daylights out of him on a regular basis, he had a strong suspicion he would weigh twice as much as he did.

"We sure do," Justin told him as he looked over at Brian smugly. "Picked some up the other day when I bought Tricky's treats. I'll go get it ready and we can eat out here on the patio," he told the little boy as he smiled at his partner in glee.

Brian rolled his eyes and shook his head, knowing it was useless to protest. "Corrupter," he growled.

"Yo-yo klutz." Justin promptly shot back as he flashed him a grin.

Brian sighed. "You think you can handle an egg white omelet and some whole wheat toast along with the junk food?"

Justin crossed his chest with his hand. "I'll do my best; I think I can scrounge up a healthy egg or two," he said solemnly.

"Poppa, can I get in the pool now?" Gus was itching to jump back into the water.

Justin smiled. "Well, it won't take that long, but go ahead. I'll keep an eye on you while your father's busy. Just make sure you put your wings on and stay in the shallow end by the ladder, okay?"

"Yay! Here I come, Tricky!" he called over to the dog. Tricky raised his head off the raft, but amazingly remained put to Brian's relief. Perhaps the dog WAS mellowing out, although he seriously doubted that.

"I'll be back in about fifteen minutes," He told Justin as he turned to go while he could make his escape safely.

Justin cleared his throat.

"What?" he cocked a questioning eyebrow.

Justin looked affronted for some reason. "Never mind," he muttered as he started to walk away to start breakfast; did he have to beg or spell everything out lately? Brian wasn't the ONLY one who was feeling deprived while Tricky was visiting, and with Brian's exciting new project occupying his time, he suddenly felt just a little bit on the unappreciated side. "I'll go get breakfast ready," he grumbled, feeling more and more like the neglected, little housewife of Britin Manor by the hour. Maybe he should invest in a frilly little apron while he was at it. He turned toward the back doors, only to be grabbed by the arm and pulled flush against his partner's chest.

"Where do you think you're going, Mr. Taylor?" was the throaty, gently-rumbling inquiry.

Justin placed his hands on Brian's chest as he answered a little stiffly, "I told you - I'm going to make breakfast...just like every dutiful little housewife does."

Brian grinded himself against Justin's crotch as he replied, "You will NEVER be a housewife, Justin."

Before he could issue a retort, Justin was shoved forward as Brian's lips connected with his for a sizzling kiss. He barely had time to wind his hands around his lover's neck for leverage before Brian thrust his tongue inside his mouth and began to engage him in some serious dueling action.

He ended the kiss way too soon for Justin's liking with a resounding popping noise as Brian pulled back to gaze down into his eyes. Instead of the customary smirk, though, that Justin expected, he was surprised to see what could have been mistaken for a tender look in Brian's eyes. "What?" he whispered to him, concerned.

Brian smiled almost boyishly as he replied, "I just wanted you to know something."

Justin couldn't help returning the smile. "What?" he said softly.

"I just want you to know that you're amazing," he told him sincerely. "And that I am one lucky bastard that I love someone who loves my son as much as I do."

Justin swallowed at the unexpected, heartfelt admission as he felt his eyes water. "Yes, you are," he agreed teasingly as Brian chuckled and the emotional moment was lightened. "And don't you forget it."

Brian grinned as he gave his lover one additional, quick peck on the lips. "I'll try to keep that in mind." He let Justin go to take his hand as the sounds of exuberant splashing could be heard nearby.

"Daddy, look! Tricky's teaching me how to doggy paddle!"

Brian looked over at his son doing what appeared to me a perfect imitation of Tricky's motions, minus the fur, of course, and couldn't help smiling over the joy that was obvious on his face. "Good for you, Sonny Boy!" he praised him. "I'll give you both a doggie biscuit later."

Gus gave him a strange look as Brian realized that perhaps that wasn't such a great response. "Let's go, Sunshine, before he actually thinks that's a good idea and wants to taste one for himself."


	5. Faith, Love, and Loyalty

_Justin finally discovers what Brian's secret project is; Tricky is about to prove to Brian just how much of 'man's best friend' he is._

* * *

_Angst alert here! But keep in mind - there are NO character deaths in this story! That's all I will say for now..._

"Let's see, Buddy; we've got Tricky's food in a baggie, his frog, his cow, and his leash. Did you put his collar on him?" Justin called over to Gus as he reached for the trunk release handle of his SUV to open it. Gus came bounding up with Tricky happily trotting along beside him; he evidently was smart enough to realize they were about to go for a ride, and he was decidedly quite ecstatic about the idea. Their trip was necessitated by Tricky quickly depleting the large bag of dog food Justin had purchased at the pet supply store before he and Gus had arrived, so he was taking advantage of Debbie offering to watch Gus and Tricky for a few hours to replenish both their dog food and grocery items.

"Yeah, Poppa," Gus told him as the two walked up to stand beside him at the back of the vehicle. "I've got everything. Did you pack his Jerky treats, too?"

Justin nodded his head in amusement. "You've trained me well, Gus; I have a complete, unopened package inside the baggie. Just don't give it all to him at once, okay? I don't think Debbie would appreciate her guest leaving a 'deposit' on her kitchen floor while the two of you are visiting."

Gus frowned. "Are we going to the bank first?"

Justin laughed. "Not that kind of deposit," he said with a smile as Gus's eyes widened in understanding.

"Ohhh." He looked indignant then as he insisted, "He doesn't do that anymore, Poppa! He's all growed up now!"

Justin tried to keep a straight face as he responded solemnly, "Of course; how could I have forgotten?" He turned to look down at Tricky, who seemed to be getting bigger by the day. He fleetingly wondered what the Guinness Book of World Records was for the biggest yellow lab on record as he told the dog, "Please accept my apologies, Tricky, for doubting you." _Even if you ARE woefully lacking in housetraining etiquette..._

Tricky sat up on his haunches next to him and raised his left paw as he gazed at him with his big, brown, beseeching eyes, indicating there were no hard feelings along with something else. Justin grinned as he accepted the 'paw shake' for a couple of seconds before stating, "Thanks for forgiving me, Buddy. But you're still going to have to ride in the back. It's the safest place for you." He knew they should have a wire cage to restrain the dog in, but just having him temporarily - and on short notice - hadn't permitted it. He figured, then, that the best spot for him would be in the back of the vehicle where he couldn't roam all over the interior and distract him while he was driving. He patted the carpeting as he said firmly, "Come on, Big Boy; up you go."

As Tricky hopped up into the back of the vehicle half-heartedly and curled up on his dog bed with a none-too-pleased groan, Gus abruptly jumped in after him. Sitting cross-legged next to the dog on a corner of the bed, he slowly stroked the top of Tricky's head. "It's okay, Buddy," Gus cooed sympathetically. "I'll keep you company." Tricky raised his head and thumped his tail as if he understood exactly what Gus was saying; perhaps he did somehow.

"Uh, Gus, I'm not sure that's a good idea," Justin told him gently. He gazed affectionately over at the little boy. "You know you're supposed to ride in the back in your booster seat." Gus looked at him, though, with those limpid, sorrowful pools of greenish-gold and as his lower lip curled under in a pout, Justin immediately knew now how that affected Brian when he pulled the same stunt. He sighed. "I can't let you sit back here, Little Guy. You know your Dad would have a fit if he knew, and it's not safe back here without a restraint." He silently resolved to find a dog crate somewhere for the next time he and Tricky came to visit; although he wasn't going to broach the idea with Brian. Just the idea that Tricky might continue to make 'regular guest appearances' would cause a major queen out on his partner's side.

Gus's eyes filled with tears of disappointment. "Please, _Poppa_. He'll be lonely back here all by himself."

Justin twisted his lips in indecision. _Little scamp_, he thought. _He certainly takes after his father_. That look is the same exact one he always gets whenever Brian wants to fuck and he isn't in the mood. Of course, realistically that didn't happen very much - mainly whenever he was worn out from working on a major art commission or was sick - but even so, invariably he always caved in whenever Brian used that same type of voice. Brian's was distinctly sexier, though; but given about ten more years or so, he had an inkling that this little boy would be using the same type of tactics on an unsuspecting lover of his own.

"I'll tell you what," he finally said. "If you can get Tricky to stay calm while I'm driving to your Grandma Debbie's, I'll fold down the extra backseat and we'll move his bed next to your booster seat so he can sit beside you instead. But he has to behave; no running around the back of the car while I'm driving. Okay?" _Is that even possible? _He couldn't help asking himself.

"Yay! You're riding with me, Boy!" Gus cried out in delight. Tricky's tail started up again, although he had no real idea what was happening; he just knew that Gus was happy as a clam and that was good enough for him. His favorite adult in the meantime had told Justin that he needed a little more time to spend with the remodelers as they put the finishing touches on his new office. Justin sighed. He was trying to be magnanimous about the site of his former artist's studio being transformed into Brian's home office, but it still stuck in his craw. He supposed he didn't begrudge Brian's need for more space, but why did it have to be where his old studio was? It's not like Britin was on a postage-stamp sized lot. He shook his head in disgust over how selfish that sounded. _Man up, Taylor,_ he told himself as he thought about all that Brian had done for him over the years. _It's just a piece of land_.

"Okay, then, I'm counting on you, Gus," Justin told Brian's son as the little boy and Tricky scampered out of the back of the SUV and headed toward the backseat. Justin grabbed the dog bed and, lifting the lever to fold the spare backseat in half, he placed Tricky's bed down just in time for the dog to hop back up and take his place next to Gus. A few minutes later, everyone was secured (at least as much as possible) as Justin slowly pulled away from Britin, determined to take care of his errands as soon as he could so he could return home to find out what Brian's mysterious new office looked like. The man had sure been secretive enough about it; he couldn't wait to see the interior now. Would it look like a professional, sleek work space or Brian's newest fuck pad for the two of them? Knowing Brian, probably a combination of both, he decided, as he pulled out onto the main road and headed toward Pittsburgh.

* * *

_Early Afternoon_

Hands on hips, Brian surveyed the interior of Justin's new studio critically, taking in every crevice, every nook, every detail. He nodded in satisfaction at the finished product. Every available space of the open floor plan had been put to efficient use, from the extra storage space under the large workspace island, to the bookshelves for Justin's art volumes, to the corner that held a brand new desk with a computer containing the newest computer graphic equipment. There was plenty of wide open space for Justin to spread out his easels and work on his latest commissioned piece at the far end of the studio, complimented by a row of large windows that bathed the hardwood floor in profuse sunlight for most of the day. Over in one corner, partly partitioned off by movable, white panels, was a small living area and bedroom for those late nights when his little artiste was so engrossed in his latest work that he was burning the midnight oil and was too tired to trudge back to the main house. He hadn't been sure that the remodelers would be able to pull off getting it done by early afternoon as they had promised, but as he looked at the completed space, he was impressed with how much they had accomplished. Now all that was left was the grand reveal - and a certain beautiful blond sucking up to him; emphasis on the _sucking_ part.

He nodded with a smile as he glanced over at the foreman. "It's just what I had in mind, Deke. It looks great. Justin should love it."

Deke smiled back at him as he wiped his dusty hands off on his paint-splattered, denim overalls. "I'm glad you're pleased, Mr. Kinney," he told Brian, "and that you think your partner will like it. I've never really worked on a studio before."

"Well, it's just what I wanted. I know he's going to feel the same way, too," Brian responded firmly. He knew Justin well enough by now to know that he was bound to love the new space; it incorporated his partner's quirky artistic flair with several of the more practical features that he needed in order to organize all of his equipment and show off his finished products. He turned to smile over at the foreman as he reached inside his jeans pocket to produce a prewritten check. "And if he DOESN'T like it I'm going to rip his balls off," he growled in jest before he grinned at the other man to show he was kidding - or at least he thought. "Here's your payment, including the bonus I promised you."

Deke grinned in pleasure. "Thanks, Mr. Kinney! My truck's on its last legs, so this will come in mighty handy." Brian nodded in acknowledgment as the man asked, "You want us to tear down the paper over the windows now?"

"Hell, no!" Brian told Deke adamantly as he peered over at the man's ponytailed chief painter. The other guy was definitely an odd ball; he didn't think he had heard more than two words come out of him since they had started this project, but at least he knew his stuff. The work had been done both quickly and efficiently, and he knew it couldn't have been easy painting around all the angles, bookshelves, equipment and beams on the ceiling. "I still don't want Justin to know what's going on yet; I'll be giving him the grand tour later this afternoon."

Deke nodded. "Okay, then we'll be heading out," he told Brian as he and the other man started toward the door. "And if you ever need any other work done..." he said hopefully, knowing that with Brian's penchant for giving out bonuses and the huge house he and his partner lived in, they could make quite a pretty penny off this man with future projects.

Brian nodded as he waved them off with a hand, his mind focused on anticipating when Justin would get home so he could finally show him what he had been up to all this time. "I'll keep that in mind. In fact, I'll probably need you for another project up in the attic very soon. Now if you'll excuse me..."

Deke nodded at that statement, excited over the possibility of more work as he and the other man left; the room was soon shrouded in silence as they closed the door behind them. Brian cast an analytical eye around the room, making sure everything was in order. He had already set up Justin's computer with twin monitors, figuring he could use both displays for his work, as well as equipping the work space in the corner with the highest quality set of brushes, easels, and canvases that money could buy. And of course, there was the corner where he had the workers fashion the makeshift bedroom area; no room where his lover would be working would be complete without having an area where they could burn off some 'nervous energy.' In fact, he was hoping that Justin might be REALLY 'nervous' later on, or at least profoundly grateful for his surprise to him. He smirked. He was always taught to accept gratitude gracefully; he would be more than happy to accept his partner's 'appreciation' later. He couldn't wait for Justin to see his new studio and to do some major groveling after he realized what he had actually been up to. Once Justin moved in here to work, Brian would arrange to move all of his own things up to the attic where the elongated space was less than optimal for Justin's needs, but just perfect for his new office.

Now, however, he had some last minute touches to do to the area before Justin got back with Gus. Taking a deep breath and making good use of some much-needed solitude, he got to work.

* * *

_One Hour Earlier..._

Debbie eyed the hairy, four-legged beast with an incredulous look as Gus and Justin followed directly behind Tricky. "Holy shit," she muttered as the dog came bounding up to her in the kitchen, just like he owned the place. He was so tall now that his back was waist-high to her as he stood there, furiously wagging his tail. She glanced over at Gus. "Is this the same dog I saw at Christmas?"

Justin grinned as Gus deposited Tricky's baggie of food down on the laminate kitchen table and Justin dropped the bed down in the living room. "One and the same," Justin verified. "Why, does he look different?" he asked, playing along. The dog must have gained at least 20 pounds since the last time Debbie had seen him and appeared to have twice as much hair at the moment; Gus had spent the past fifteen minutes or so brushing out Tricky's fur coat in the car with his dog brush so it not only shined under the kitchen's fluorescent bulb overhead, but it had fluffed out like a jumbo-sized Pomeranian's.

Debbie looked at the dog in amazement. "Are you kidding, Justin? It looks like he doubled in size since then," she muttered. Her face transformed into a big smile, however, as she focused her attention on her grandson approaching and leaned down with slightly bent knees to greet him. "Come here, you sweet boy, and give your Grandma a big hug!"

Instead of the anticipated response, however, Tricky immediately walked over and began to enthusiastically lick Debbie's face as she sputtered in reaction and flinched. Justin laughed as her face scrunched up in dismay. "Not YOU!" she growled as she stood back up to get away from him. "That dog has a bigger tongue than a camel's!" She snorted. "Make sure you take him to Babylon the next time they have their Rim and Ram Night; with THAT tongue I bet he could give one..."

"Deb," Justin admonished her sternly as he cocked his head toward Gus who was absorbing everything she said like a sponge.

She shrugged as she popped the gum in her mouth and grinned. She held out her hands but did not stoop down this time as she said, "Come and give me a kiss, Gus!" She pointed a finger at Tricky as Justin hooked his hand underneath his collar to prevent him from repeating his previous gesture. "And you stay put!" she lectured as she scooped Gus up in her arms and gave him a tight hug as she kissed him on the cheek.

Gus squirmed a little in reaction to his confinement before Debbie put him down; Justin bit back a laugh at the distinctive red lipstick imprint on his cheek as he advised, "Well, I'm heading out to the grocery; I'll be back in a little while."

"We'll be fine, Sunshine," Debbie told him with a nod. "I'm about to take some cookies out of the oven and I have a nice, fenced-in backyard for Big Foot here. So you run along - we'll be just fine," she repeated as Justin nodded. He could hear the sound of a cow mooing over and over again as he reached the front door and opened it to step outside. _Good Luck, 'Grandma,' _he couldn't help thinking with a grin as he closed the door behind him.

* * *

_An Hour Later..._

Justin emerged from the grocery store with a bulging paper bag of kitchen staples and a forty pound bag of dog food in his cart. As he placed the items in the back of the SUV and closed the door, his gaze fell upon a shop next to the grocery and an evil thought immediately crossed his mind as he remembered what he and Gus had discussed earlier. His smile got wider and wider the more he thought about it. Finally, pocketing his keys in his jeans pocket, he turned to head back toward the strip mall, this time walking toward the party goods store instead of the grocery. A few minutes later, he emerged back out with the item he had been hoping they had in stock as he placed the additional item in the rear of the SUV next to the groceries and headed back toward Debbie's.

* * *

Brian glanced again at the text message he had received from Justin about thirty minutes ago, informing him that they were heading out of the Pitts back toward Britin. His partner and Gus should be returning any minute now; he was so anxious to show Justin his new studio and get his reaction, despite his previous drama princess tantrum. Pulling the curtains back slightly from the study's window overlooking the front lawn, he smiled as, just like clockwork, he noticed Justin's SUV slowly coming up the curved driveway toward the house. Reaching in to jingle the set of keys to Justin's new studio that he held in his pocket, he walked out of the room toward the kitchen, taking care to take cover behind the counter bar so he didn't get knocked down by the furry missile that was no doubt about to launch himself through the door. Sure enough, as soon as the door from the garage opened, he heard Justin shout, "Tricky, No!" just before the door was slammed open wider and the dog came scampering in at full throttle, his nose up in the air as he smelled Brian and made a beeline right toward his hiding place; he was holding his favorite toy in his mouth as it mooed over and over again each time he bit down on it. Brian was already anticipating him, however; he had placed a tall counter stool between the eat-in bar and the stove, effectively preventing Tricky from getting too close to him. Just to make sure, Brian held onto the seat of the counter stool with his hands to keep it in place. "Ha, ha," Brian taunted him as Tricky whined in frustration. "Not this time, Cujo; I know your M.O. by now!" He grinned at the dog's inability to tackle him. This was a great improvement over before; the only problem was, he knew it wouldn't be too practical to stay there forever. Eventually he would have to move at some point, even if it was to take a piss.

Justin eyed the 'dog-man stare-down' in amusement as he set the bag of groceries down on the counter next to his partner; Tricky's cow continued to moo over and over again as Brian rolled his eyes in disgust at the sound. "I've heard you can install invisible fences indoors for certain parts of a house," Justin told him. "Want me to set you up with an appointment?"

"Don't tempt me, Sunshine," Brian retorted as he winced at the mooing sound that seemed to go on and on incessantly. "If we did, our bedroom - and the kitchen - would be the first ones that I would wire. Hey! What about we just put up an electrified fence like they do for cattle instead? He's about the same size."

"Brian!" Justin scolded him in the same tone of voice he used with Tricky as Gus struggled to scoot up onto one of the extra counter stools; Justin reached over and helped lift the little boy up onto the seat as Gus's legs casually swung back and forth and he eyed his father curiously. "Daddy, what's 'lectrified mean?"

Justin smiled over at his partner. "Yeah, _Daddy_, explain to Gus what electrified means," He repeated helpfully. _  
_

Brian actually appeared a little flustered as he stammered uncharacteristically, "Well, uh... You know sometimes when you're walking around on the carpet with your socks on and you try to touch something and you get a little shock from it?" Gus nodded. "Well, that's what happens when you use an electrified fence. It's just a little way to remind someone that certain parts of the house or yard are off limits, that's all."

Gus nodded as he absentmindedly reached down to stroke the top of Tricky's head underneath the counter bar. "Kind of like when Poppa tells you that you need to stay out of his studio because you're always knocking over his paintings before he's finished? Maybe you need a 'lectrified' fence for you up there, too."

Justin guffawed as Brian glared over at him. "I don't think so," he said stiffly, clearly insulted. "I am NOT a klutz."

Gus frowned. "Daddy, what's a kl...?" Gus was currently in one of those stages where everything required an answer. Instead of the typical "Daddy, why is the sky blue?" or "Daddy, why is it dark at night?", though, his questions tended to be more of an unusual nature, inspired no doubt by his father's rather unorthodox approach to things.

Justin took pity on his stepson - and Brian, knowing that Gus might ask question after question if they let him - as he suggested, "Uh, Gus, why don't you and Tricky go outside for a little while so I can put the groceries away? Just don't get in the pool right now, okay? Tricky can play in his own if he wants to, but I don't want you going in the big pool unless Brian or I are watching you."

"Okay, Poppa," Gus thankfully agreed as he slid off the stool. He patted his leg as he entreated Tricky to follow him. "Come on, Boy! Let's go outside!" Luckily Tricky liked going outside almost as much as wreaking havoc with his favorite human, so to Brian's great relief the dog followed his son to the door and then shortly disappeared outside with him as Gus slid the door closed behind them; not before snatching his yo-yo from its place on a small side table that was used for writing bills and phone messages.

Brian let out an audible breath as he moved the stool and escaped from his temporary fortress, walking around the counter with the intention of greeting his partner 'properly.' "Finally," he murmured as he walked up to Justin, who was reaching his arm into the paper bag to grab the loaf of bread from the top.

"Brian... You'll squish the bread," Justin protested as his partner reached for him, but only half-heartedly. _Squished bread or a kiss from Brian? Well, THAT was a no-brainer... _He had just enough time to toss the package onto the kitchen counter before Brian grabbed him by the upper arms and slammed his body against his for a toe-curling, tongue-fucking kiss.

Several seconds later, he looked up at Brian with a sort of goofy, freshly-ravaged look on his face as Brian smirked back at him. "And they call BREAD a _wonder_," he quipped breathlessly as Brian grinned at his partner smugly. "Remind me to go fetch bread more often."

Brian let him go at his remark to reply, "Speaking of _fetching_, what are we going to do for the next several weeks with Cujo running amuck? Is there such a thing as a rush job for an invisible fence? Is tonight too unrealistic?"

Justin grinned. "Brian, we already have part of the yard fenced in the old-fashioned way," he pointed out. "Surely you didn't think I was serious when I suggested wiring individual rooms inside the house? It's just for a few more weeks; if you can handle big, burly clients at Kinnetik, surely you can handle one dog."

"What about big, burly tricks? I've handled more than my share of those, too... In the past," he hastily added as Justin gave him a sort of death stare.

"Good thing you added that last part," Justin advised him sternly. "My point exactly; he's just a dog, Brian. You need to show him who's boss around here, who the alpha is, who the top is."

"Yeah, right, he's already had his taste of being a top with the neighbor's dog; there's no turning back now. Once you've had that power of being a top, you're always a top; present company excepted, of course."

Justin smiled dryly. "Of course." He reached to lightly caress the back of Brian's hair. "Well, it IS messy when two top dogs are trying to dominate in the same household," he replied as Brian snorted. "You'll just have to suck it up until he leaves, Brian, since he's your son's best friend, and I know you wouldn't want to upset him while he's here visiting, would you?"

"Shit," Brian muttered, knowing Justin was right. He sighed. "Well, at least I have you to help me with the sucking part," he replied. His eyebrows rose hopefully as he asked, "Want to do some sucking up right now while Gus and Cujo are preoccupied out back?" He could think of one place that needed to be properly christened right away - the bed in Justin's new studio. He was so anxious to have Justin see it.

To his disappointment, however, Justin shook his head. "As tempting as that sounds, Mr. Kinney, I have to put all the frozen food and the meat away. I promise to make like a Hoover later," he told him as he smiled at Brian's distinctive pout. "While I'm doing that, would you mind going and getting the dog food out of the back of the car? Or I could just throw Tricky another one of your Gucci shoes to chew on."

"What do you mean... _another one_?" Brian growled in suspicion. So far he wasn't aware of any shoes of HIS that had been used for teething rings here at the house.

Justin grinned impishly, thoroughly enjoying Brian's look of horror. "Just kidding," he sing-songed as he turned back to emptying out the bag of groceries. "Ow!" he cried out as Brian promptly smacked him hard on one butt cheek. "Do that again and your Hoover here will turn into a little Dirt Devil instead," he warned him as Brian grinned back at him, tongue in cheek.

"Well, the _Devil_ part certainly fits," Brian retorted as he walked toward the door heading out to the garage. As soon as he shut it behind him, Justin hurriedly pulled the item out of the grocery bag that he had purchased earlier at the party goods store and unwrapped it from its plastic wrapping. Quickly taking a look around for just the right spot, he finally settled on a corner of the kitchen near the refrigerator and hastily set it down, just in time to stand back up and return to casually unpacking his groceries before Brian came back in with the large bag of dog food hefted over his left shoulder. "Shouldn't you have bought more than a day's supply, Sunshine?" he snarked; he gave a grunt of exertion as he set the bag down inside the pantry situated just inside the connecting door and stood back up. "I need some water," he decided just as Justin hoped he would say as he wiped his brow and walked over toward the refrigerator, only to stop dead in his tracks as he glanced down at the floor by the baseboard and noticed something out of the ordinary - something highly unorthodox and extremely disconcerting. "What the fuck?" he roared out as he whirled around to face his partner. "Justin!"

Justin pressed his lips tightly together to keep from laughing, his back to Brian as he tried desperately to compose himself. Feeling sufficiently like he could act surprised as well as serious, he turned around and tried hard to look both confused as well as curious as he answered, "What's wrong?"

"I'll _tell_ you what's wrong!" Brian shouted in disgust. "Look what that damn dog did now! You told me he was housetrained, Justin! Well, if he is, take a look at _this_!" He pointed down to a dark blob lying on the floor. "And on top of his other questionable hygiene habits, the fucking dog apparently has diarrhea, too! If you think I'M cleaning that up, you're crazy! And furthermore, I don't care if he IS Gus's dog - that animal is not going anywhere NEAR our bedroom for the rest of his canine life, which is about to be cut short if he keeps this up!"

"Oh, you mean that?" Justin said casually as he walked over and looked down at what Brian was referring to. To Brian's horror, he stooped down and started to reach for the offending item with his bare hand.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he asked incredulously. "Don't TOUCH that; are you crazy? If you so much as even place one finger on that, I will never..."

His words died on his lips as he watched Justin lean over and promptly pick up the mess in his hand before standing back up, noticing it was surprisingly more solid than it had appeared. Brian watched in disbelief as Justin brought the item up to his mouth and took a bite out of it. "Mmmm," he said melodramatically for effect as he chewed it a couple of times and then let it slide down his throat. Eyes twinkling, he informed his partner, "They had a milk chocolate variety, but I think the dark chocolate looks more realistic, don't you?" He smiled over at Brian and batted his eyelashes for good measure as he watched Brian's face transform from one of astonishment to revelation.

He grinned over at Brian then with a sort of 'gotcha' look as his partner scrunched up his lips in a sort of half-amused, half angry look. "Why, you little shit," he murmured menacingly as he moved toward his incorrigible lover, who found himself being quickly backed up against the wall next to the refrigerator. He tried to make a hasty run for freedom by sidestepping Brian, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid being grabbed by a strong hand that latched onto his waist and pulled him up close against the taller body.

His hands trapped between them, Justin took another bite out of his chocolate poop as he smiled, not particularly disappointed that he hadn't been able to 'escape.' He held out what little remained of his candy toward Brian's face as he asked innocently, "Want some?"

Justin gasped and flinched as Brian began to tickle him just where he knew he was the most vulnerable on the sides of his waist. "Oh, I'll _get some _all right," Brian vowed huskily while he tormented his partner mercilessly and Justin giggled. "You will be severely punished tonight for this, Mr. Taylor."

Justin stood up straighter to ask, "Is that a promise?" as Brian finally stopped torturing him and slid his hands around the slim back.

"Count on it," Brian growled. He promptly snatched what little was left of the chocolate out of Justin's hand as he shook his head in disbelief. "I send you out for groceries and dog food and you pick up this shit instead?" he teased him, unable to be mad at this incredible man who made his heart skip a beat every time they were together. Even now after all this time, only Justin could make him feel the way that he did.

"Yep, it's shit, all right," Justin agreed with a grin as Brian placed half of what remained between his lips and leaned in so Justin could meet him with the other half as their mouths pressed together for a different sort of 'chocolate kiss.' Justin moaned after a few seconds; Brian liked to hope it was from his technique rather than the silky taste of the dark chocolate, but with his own little sweets-eating machine he couldn't be sure. They finally broke apart as they heard the rattling of the back door and the pitter-patter of animal and human feet.

"No, Tricky, wait!" Gus yelled out, but the dog - still somewhat wet from just getting out of his baby/doggy pool a few minutes ago, rushed into the kitchen, Gus futilely trying to catch up to him with a beach towel clutched in his hands.

"Quick! Hide me," Brian instructed as he ducked behind Justin's smaller frame. Of course, his biggest fan - both in size as well as enthusiasm - wasn't fooled for a second as Tricky came scampering right over to him and began nudging Brian's leg with his nose for attention. Thankfully the stuffed toy cow was still firmly entrenched in his jowls, so at least he wasn't subjected to a slobbery, wet bath; instead, he was 'treated' to something even more unpleasant as Tricky began to shake, throwing water droplets all over his clothes, his face, and the surrounding kitchen floor.

"Shit." He sighed loudly as he said, "Isn't it bedtime yet?"

Justin rolled his eyes as he grabbed a nearby kitchen towel and quickly began to pat him dry. "Brian, it's only two o'clock in the afternoon. So no, it isn't bedtime yet!"

"It is somewhere in the world," his partner retorted to no avail.

Justin turned to Gus as he obtained the larger beach towel from him and managed somehow to get Tricky to lift each paw to wipe under the pads to dry them off. "Gus, please take Tricky down to the bathroom and try to dry him off as best you can, okay?" He handed the damp towel back to the little boy who nodded and, tugging on the dog's collar, he began to laboriously trudge down the hallway toward the half-bath with Tricky close in tow.

As he watched them go, a sudden thought occurred to Justin as he commented, "By the way, I didn't see any workmen around when I pulled up. Does that mean that the Taj Mahal is finally finished?"

Brian noted the slight sarcasm in his partner's voice as he finished drying off his face and replied, "As a matter of fact, Sunshine, it is. But if you're too busy putting away groceries right now for a tour..."

"Oh, no, you don't!" he admonished him. "After all this time? I want to see it NOW."

"See WHAT now, Poppa?" Gus asked as he and Tricky returned; the towel was missing, no doubt thrown down on the floor in a heap if he knew Gus's normal habits. The boy apparently did not know the proper use for a hamper yet.

"Your father's new office he had built outside; it's finally finished." He tried to keep the slight envy out of his voice at the thought of having his own studio in that sun-drenched space instead, but he was only partly successful in accomplishing it. "I was just going out to take a look; want to come with us?"

"Yeah!" Gus cried out excitedly.

"Hold it!" Brian demanded as he eyed Tricky warily. "Is he clean?"

Justin guffawed. "Brian, he's a dog, not a criminal being frisked. I wiped his paws off already and Gus toweled him off. It'll be fine." _Sheesh,_ he couldn't help thinking. _Maybe he DOES have Mies van der Rohe furniture in there.  
_

Brian held his hands up in surrender, knowing he was in the minority at the moment as two sets of human eyes and one set of canine stared back at him intently. He sighed, realizing he was stuck. "Okay, let's go. But one paw print on the floor and he's out of there. And there better not be any sh... _poop_ left behind, either, edible or otherwise."

"It's okay, Daddy," Gus chirped up. "Tricky already went poop out in the backyard. Right next to the back gate."

"Lovely," Brian commented dryly. His idea of heading out toward Justin's new studio via the backyard just took a detour. "Okay, then, front door it is. Sonny Boy, get Cujo's leash." He was tempted to tell him to forget it in hopes the dog might chase after a 'Trick' of his own like the neighbor's dog next door, but he knew even he couldn't do that to his son if something happened to him afterward.

Justin grinned over at Brian, slowly licking his fingers to clean off any residual chocolate still there (even though he actually didn't have any, he was just enjoying Brian's lust-filled reaction to it) before he followed along behind the rest of the group, not especially looking forward to seeing Brian's fancy new digs in the space where his much-loved studio used to be.

A few minutes later, the four of them turned toward the side of the house and strode toward the rear of the yard where the new structure lay. As they approached it, Justin was struck by how angular and rustic it looked; the exterior certainly wasn't the typical office that his partner would normally prefer, but perhaps out in the backwoods of West Virginia and in the more bucolic setting, Brian had decided to have it blend in with the rest of the surroundings. The outside was constructed with what appeared to be cedar wood and brick, with a large bank of windows on one side that would face the rising sun in the morning and be just perfect for painting, Justin noticed wistfully. It was rather narrow but sleek looking with clean lines and a metal staircase leading up to the entrance. He observed that the windows were still taped over with paper, even though all the construction had been completed.

As they reached the entrance, Brian reached inside his jeans pocket, and, tongue curled into his cheek, he handed a lone key on a round, gold ring to his partner.

"What's this for?" Justin asked. "You would actually entrust me with a spare key?"

"Not exactly," Brian said softly, ignoring the hurt tone of his partner's voice. "I told you that you would have the grand tour before anyone else. Go on in and take a look; we'll be right behind you." Brian found that he was holding his breath as Justin nodded, a little confused, and walked up the steps to insert the key and swing the door open to enter. Brian held out his hand silently to Gus in a command to stay where he was for the moment; thankfully Tricky was still on his leash and couldn't disobey, or he had a strong feeling that the dog would have promptly bounded up the steps on Justin's heels. He waited a few moments, wanting Justin to have a little time alone to digest everything, before he slowly walked up the steps and quietly entered behind him.

Justin's mouth was hanging open in shock; his eyes alight with wonder and delight as he tried to soak everything in. As soon as he had walked inside, he knew this was no office for Brian. No, he knew exactly what it was. Every inch, every space in the sun-dappled room had been meticulously crafted to be the perfect artist's hideaway for his craft.

It was almost too much to soak in at once: the area at the far end that was uncluttered and full of light, just itching to have an artist's easel set up with a blank canvas, the bookshelves, some filled already with all his art books but others empty, silently inviting him to fill them with his own knickknacks, photos, and other mementos, the large workspace island with drawers and shelves underneath for his supplies, even the large, double, stainless-steel sink with built-in bins for rinsing out his brushes when he was done. He could see a desk set up on the opposite wall with _two_ monitors; he had never had a computer with double monitors, but had always longed for that sort of set up so he could compare different versions of his graphic arts projects side-by-side.

Over in the opposite corner of the room were some white, wooden, accordion-like partitions blocking off another space; he couldn't tell from where he stood transfixed what was behind it, but he couldn't wait to find out. First, though, he turned to see Brian standing a few feet away from him and felt instantly ashamed for all the harshness, envy, and jealousy he had displayed toward him earlier when Brian had been building him a new studio all along. "Brian..." he began, his voice cracking; but he didn't get an opportunity to say anything more at the moment.

"Wow, this is neat!" Gus exclaimed as he came bounding in right before Tricky and interrupted him; the dog came running in so fast behind Gus that his feet promptly skidded out from underneath him and his body went sliding halfway across the polished, hardwood floor like some furry, roller derby participant. He finally wound up having his momentum stopped when his butt slammed against the side of one of the folding partitions, causing it to tilt precariously and wobble before it, too, went crashing down alongside its perpetrator, exposing what was hidden on the other side.

"Tricky!" Gus scolded him as he went rushing up to him. "Slow down, or you'll hurt yourself just like Daddy did in the kitchen!" he told him as Brian rolled his eyes. At that moment, he was too caught up in Justin's reaction to be too angry with the dog's latest catastrophe, though; he was mesmerized by the look of entrancement on Justin's face as his partner turned to look at him in amazement with a blinding smile. He smiled back at his partner, pleased that Justin was so happy with the new studio.

"Brian..." Justin began, not quite sure where to start. This had to be one of the most wonderful things anyone had ever done for him, and for once he found himself rather speechless over the magnificent gesture. He looked around to survey the space once more, almost afraid he was dreaming what he was seeing. But there was no denying the folding partition lying flat on the floor, or the living/bedroom area exposed behind it, or Brian's arms sliding around his waist from behind as he leaned back against him and said, "All this time... You were doing this for _me_?'

Brian laid his cheek against Justin's as he whispered in his ear, "I take it you approve?"

Justin turned around in his arms to stare up at him in wonder. "Approve?" He looked around and shook his head in astonishment. "Brian... This, this is like a _dream _workspace for me! It's like the perfect artist's studio! How did you know? How did you know that if I could design it any way that I wanted to that it would look just like this?"

Brian gazed tenderly into his eyes. "Because I know _you_, that's how. And I knew you couldn't be truly happy up in that attic upstairs. You need more room, more light, more personality than you could ever get up there. I remembered how happy you were before the fire; I wanted to see that look again." He peered into the sparkling blue eyes as he whispered, "And I think I've just found it."

Justin smiled radiantly at him as they came together for a passionate kiss; Justin's hands sliding around Brian's neck to pull him closer. Only the tugging of a little hand on Justin's shirt tail a couple minutes later caused the two partners to break off their kiss.

Justin peered down into Gus's cherubic face and smiled. "What is it, Buddy?" he asked tenderly as the two men continued to embrace.

"If you and Daddy are going to keep kissing, can Tricky and I go back outside and play? He doesn't like this room very much." Tricky had actually lain down nearby; apparently he did not care for the slickness of the floor, so he chose the most secure posture he could to protect himself.

Brian surveyed the latest evidence of the dog's 'exuberance' wearily; it was likely by the time Tricky was gone he would cause substantial damage to their property, not to mention bodily harm. Thinking that maybe he should call the insurance company to find out if they ever issued riders for canine hurricanes, he nodded at his son, more than glad to have some private time with Justin and even more, some separation from his greatest admirer. "That sounds like a good idea," he told his son with a smile. "But make sure you stay inside the fenced in area, okay? We don't want someone making any visits to his lady friend next door."

"Okay, Daddy," Gus told him. "Can we go swimming?"

"Now, Gus, you know the answer to that," Brian gently chided him. "No swimming unless Justin or I am there to watch you."

Gus sighed. "But, Daddy - I know how you are when you get that look; you'll be kissing Poppa _forever_."

Justin laughed. "That look? What kind of look, Gus?"

"That _I'm so in looooove _look like this," Gus said melodramatically as he drew out the 'love' word; he plastered a dreamy sort of look on his face as his father snorted.

"I do not look like that," he argued as Justin grinned smugly, way too pleased with himself over the power he had over him. The little shit knew it, too.

"Yes, you do," Gus insisted as Tricky raised his head to peer over at them curiously. "But it's okay, Daddy; you only get that look when you're around Poppa."

Justin continued to beam. "Tell me more, Gus," he urged the little boy as Brian glared at him. "What's that look again? I want to make sure I recognize it next time so I can be prepared." Gus struck another lovesick-like pose as Brian rolled his eyes.

"I thought you wanted to go outside with Cujo?" he reminded his son as he fidgeted a little uncomfortably. "The sooner you leave, the sooner I can finish kissing your Poppa and come out to join you."

Gus considered that logic for a moment before he nodded. "Okay," he agreed. "But can you speed the kissing up a little?"

Justin bit his lip to keep from laughing as Brian solemnly told him, "Kissing is an art, Sonny Boy; and when you kiss the artist, you have to do it right. Perfection takes time. I'll see what I can do, though."

Gus looked at him doubtfully, knowing from past experience that his father hardly ever kissed his Poppa very fast, before he sighed in resignation. "Okay... Come on, Tricky," he told his dog half-heartedly as he patted his knee with the familiar signal. He face brightened, however, as he thought of something. They were out in the country, and according to the story books that his mommies read to him, there were usually a lot of cool kinds of critters that liked to hang out in places like this. "Let's go find a frog!" He told Tricky gleefully. Unbeknownst to his father, he had developed a fixation lately with outdoor creatures, whether it was lightning bugs, frogs, salamanders, or even snakes. His Daddy had a lot of land; surely there were plenty of neat creatures out here, then.

"No frogs!" Brian called after him in alarm as his son and Tricky ran outside without even closing the door; he had this vision of his son leaving one in his and Justin's bed as the little boy and his constant companion quickly disappeared from sight. He sighed as he shook his head in frustration. Every time he thought that maybe, just maybe, things might be dying down a little into something resembling a bit of normalcy, something else happened to quash that belief.

Justin grinned. "Don't you like frogs?" he asked.

"No! Not even the stuffed kind," Brian muttered as he inhaled a deep breath and let it out to try and release some of the tension. Justin slid his hands over Brian's shoulder blades and gave them a squeeze. "You are so tight there," he murmured.

"Hmm... Where have I heard that before?" Brian snickered as Justin smiled.

"I have no idea," he quipped as he continued to knead the tight muscles of Brian's shoulders.

Brian eyed him with that boyish smile that always made Justin's heart hammer a little faster as he whispered huskily, "Well, maybe I can jog your memory while I take you on that tour I promised you. We can start with the back corner - where the bed is."

Justin laughed. "Now why does that not surprise me? I think it would be best if you be my guide, though; I might get lost in here otherwise. I just hope for Gus's sake you can fuck faster than you can kiss."

Brian grinned as he broke loose from their embrace and grabbed Justin's hand to begin pulling him toward the back of the newly-completed studio. "Let's find out."

* * *

A thick branch from a maple tree held firmly in his jowls, Tricky trotted along joyfully behind his master, his tail high and erect as it swished back and forth contentedly while Gus squatted down periodically to turn over some leaves or a rock, hoping to find some exotic-type critter that he could proudly show off to his father and his Poppa to demonstrate how brave he was. No creature, big or small, that had more than two legs, slithered, or hopped was a match for his courage and skills. He had actually seen a frog swimming in the grownup's pool yesterday when he had come out to swim, but the frog had proven to be quite agile at avoiding apprehension, finally finding a way to swim rapidly over to the side of the pool where the built-in steps were and hopping out before Gus could jump in and capture him.

He sighed in disappointment, finding nothing of real interest so far, until he heard a curious sound coming from a large pile of firewood stacked up next to the side of the fence line, not too far from Tricky's doggy pool. Leaving Tricky munching happily on his stick nearby, his two paws bracing his newly-found object of fascination in front of him as he sat chewing the bark off one end, Gus approached the unusual sound, not seeing anything moving at first. His eyes widened in excitement, however, as he got closer to the wood and observed a medium-sized brown snake coiled up and sunning itself near one of the bottom logs. He had never seen a snake like this one before; it had an odd-looking tail on the end of it that didn't match the rest of its body.

As he moved closer to take another look, suddenly the snake's head lifted up in reaction and its tail did, too; now Gus knew where the odd sound had come from as the tail shook back and forth and made the sort of noise you might hear from a baby's rattle. He squatted down and stared in fascination at the reptile as the snake eyed him intently, its forked tongue darting out nervously as the noise from its tail got louder and louder...

* * *

Draped over his partner's smaller form on the new, full-sized studio bed, Brian had just succeeded in removing Justin's shirt and unsnapping his jeans, his hand sliding inside toward its desired target, when he heard Tricky let out a sort of high-pitched yelp, followed immediately by a terrified scream. "That was Gus!" Brian cried out in immediate recognition as he bolted off the bed in alarm, Justin scrambling along right behind him as he hastened to close his jeans back together and follow him. Within seconds, both of them had rushed out the door, looking around anxiously for any sign of the little boy and his faithful companion. What they saw a few seconds later, however, made their blood run cold, for over near the woodpile that had been left over from the mild West Virginia winter was a little boy huddled over the form of his most beloved companion, lying still and quiet on the ground.

* * *

_A/N: Thanks for boriqua522 for being my beta.:) Also, for those of you who comment anonymously on this story or any of my others, please know that I appreciate the feedback very much; however, I am unable to respond personally to anonymous reviews like I normally like to. And to the reader who asked about "Parent Trap's" update, it's coming up next.:) Thanks again for all the wonderful feedback.:) _


	6. Harrowing Adventure

_Tricky is rushed to the doctor after his injury; Brian surprises his partner by his actions._

"Gus!" Brian's voice was shrill and terrified as he observed the eerie, surreal scene greeting him and Justin as they emerged from the new studio. _No... This can't be happening..._ He couldn't fathom exactly what had happened, but he _did_ know one thing: his son was shrieking in terror and his child's dog seemingly wasn't moving - a stark and sobering difference from the way he normally was; a fact that made Brian's heart pound in anxiety.

He took off at a run, using his previous training in high school track and sheer adrenalin to reach his son and Tricky in record time. He took a few moments first to kneel beside his son to make sure he was okay; Gus's face was red and he was wailing in abject fear for his dog, but other than that he did not appear to be physically harmed to Brian's great relief.

Justin arrived a few seconds after Brian, stunned with disbelief over what he was seeing and trying to make some sense out of it. How did such a happy time suddenly turn into this? He found the answer he was seeking as he suddenly heard the telltale rattle of the snake before he saw it, glancing over a few feet toward the wood pile to see it quickly slithering away toward the back of the property. He shuddered as he watched it warily, making sure it wasn't coming back to do any more damage, before he turned to rush over to Gus and Brian. He knew instinctively what Brian needed as Justin reached for Gus to pull him into his arms and comfort him so his partner could crawl the few feet over on his knees to where Tricky still lay on his side to examine him.

Now that he was kneeling over him, Brian could tell Tricky wasn't dead but injured; he could hear the dog whining in pain as he looked down at his bloody, left front paw. What the hell had happened? His partner's words just then sent a chill down his spine as he heard Justin say, "Brian, he was bitten by a rattlesnake. I just saw it slithering away toward the woods."

Gus clung tightly to Justin, his face a picture of fear, alarm and misery. "Tricky!" he sobbed out as he turned his head against Justin's chest to look over toward Brian and the dog. "He... he saved me, Daddy! That snake was going to hurt me! Tricky! Get up!" he begged him. Tricky attempted to do what Gus was asking of him despite his injury, but Brian gently pushed on the side of his abdomen and gave him the command for a trick that would be the most effective way to get the dog to remain where he was: "Play dead, Tricky!" For once, the dog actually obeyed him, whether it was due to his weakened state or the tone of Brian's voice, and remained lying on his side, his eyes clouded in pain and discomfort as he continued to whimper softly in distress.

"Shhh," Brian whispered soothingly as he stroked the dog's fur helplessly. He had no idea how to treat a human for a snake bite, let alone a dog. He turned to look over at Justin, praying that his partner's normal sense of curiosity about everything would help them now. "What should I do?" he asked in half-panic. "He's definitely been bitten, Justin; his paw is bloody and I think I see puncture marks."

Justin nodded as he cradled Gus against his chest reassuringly. "Take your shirt off!" he told Brian. "Do you see any other bite marks or blood anywhere else?"

Brian hurriedly looked at Tricky as best he could; in his current posture it was impossible to see the other side, but there didn't appear to be any other indications of a bite mark anywhere else, only on his front left paw. "No, not that I can see," he told Justin as he hurried to take his shirt off as Justin advised.

Justin nodded as Gus continued to sob quietly in his arms. "Wrap one of the sleeves around the wound, just above it, but not real tight; it will help stop the flow of the venom."

Brian didn't take any time to wonder how in the hell Justin knew that before he did as he was instructed, wrapping one of the sleeves of his shirt around Tricky's front paw above the wound area as the dog continued to squirm under his touch in discomfort. "No, Tricky," Brian commanded again quietly; he took his knee this time, raising his leg sideways, and lightly placed it on top of Tricky's abdomen as he worked with the makeshift bandage, trying to keep the dog from rising. He thought it was a good sign that Tricky wanted to get up rather than becoming lethargic, but at the same time he didn't want to risk any further injury. "Okay," he said as he finally tied the fabric around the leg, just above the wound. "What now?"

Gus hiccupped in a choked voice as he noticed the concern so obvious on his father's voice. "Tricky..."

"Shhh, Gus," Justin cooed to the child. "He's going to be fine, but he needs to stay as still as possible until we can get him to the vet, okay?" At least he _hoped_ he was going to be 'fine'; he was actually a lot more scared that he let on for Gus's sake. He could feel the little boy shaking as he continued to cry in his arms and he knew how frightened he was as well. He had read enough somewhere before to know that rattlesnake bites could sometimes be fatal to dogs; he silently prayed that this would not end that way. It _couldn't_ end that way! He refused to even consider that possibility for Gus's sake.

"Brian, we need to get him to the vet in town right away, and he's too heavy for you to carry him alone." Justin spoke to him in a calm voice; he stood up and reluctantly lowered Gus to the ground. Quiet sobs were still wracking his body, and Justin was afraid if he lost hope and sounded too concerned it would make Gus feel even more upset and guilty. Perhaps if he gave him a job to do... He squatted down so he was face to face with the little boy, taking a moment to tenderly wipe the tears from Gus's cheeks as he asked, "Gus, can you do Tricky a favor and run as fast as you can to the house and open the garage door with the remote? And we'll need the door to the passenger side of the car open so it's ready when your father and I get there to put Tricky in the backseat next to you. Can you do that for us?"

Gus nodded as, taking one quick glance over at his dog, he turned and legs flying ran around the pool and toward the back of the house. A few seconds later, he had slid the back door open and had rushed in, not bothering to close it behind him. "Hurry!" he urgently shouted through the open door as he disappeared inside.

"I'll help you lift him up," Justin told his partner as he rushed over to where Tricky lay. As he squatted down on the other side of the dog, his eyes met Brian's and in that moment Brian knew it was extremely serious.

"You think he'll make it?" he asked in a choked voice. He gazed down at the sad, chocolate-brown eyes of the dog his son had grown to love so deeply as he swallowed what felt like a knife sticking in his throat.

Justin had to be honest with him. "I don't know," he admitted as he reached down underneath the dog's fur, feeling Tricky's body trembling, no doubt from the pain of the snake bite. "It was definitely a rattlesnake, Brian, and I understand they...," he took a deep breath, "I understand they can be fatal sometimes."

As they grasped Tricky under his side and both rose of the same accord to begin lifting him together, Brian continued to speak softly to the dog. "Stay, Tricky, stay; everything's going to be okay," he told him quietly as both men slowly began to walk sideways toward the back of the house; the dog seemed to know instinctively that both men were trying to help him as he remained miraculously docile, an occasional whimper escaping his lips as he gazed up at Brian. Brian peered over at Justin, his lips pursed tightly together as he told his partner, "This dog is going to make it." He looked down at the shaking dog in his arms and told him, "You hear me, Cujo? You are NOT checking out on me - or my son. Just get that out of your furry head right now."

Justin nodded at him in agreement as together they continued to walk sideways toward the open door of the house; Justin managed to keep his hold on the dog as he slid the door shut with his other hand and they continued through the kitchen toward the garage.

Several seconds later, they sidled into the garage, Brian using his foot to slam the door shut as they walked toward the SUV with their precious cargo; Gus was standing by the open back door, face smudged and red from the steady stream of tears he had shed and his brow furrowed in anxiety.

"Gus, Buddy, grab that old paint blanket from the floor and put it on the seat, okay?" Justin asked the little boy as Gus scampered inside the vehicle to retrieve the blanket from the bottom of the floor and unfurl it onto the backseat; Justin noticed that Gus must have scooped up Tricky's stuffed cow from where it had lain on the kitchen floor, because it was lying on the seat next to him. "Thanks. Now go ahead and get into your booster seat; I'll be right with you." Justin somehow managed to slide in backwards over near Gus, enough to help place the dog into the car on his side with the injured paw up as Brian held his body from the other end. "There's not enough room for me to sit back here," Justin told his partner. "I'll just scrunch down on the floor so I stay with Gus and the dog while you drive."

Brian nodded as he quickly took his place behind the wheel and, making sure Gus was strapped in and Justin had a firm hold on the dog, he began to back the SUV out of the garage. Less than a minute later, they were out onto the main road, headed toward the local vet in town. He was the same vet who routinely came out to the house to give their horses any needed vaccinations and to perform routine examinations on them; this was the first time, however, that they needed him on an emergency basis.

Just to make sure they were doing the right thing, Justin quickly phoned the vet's office as Brian drove toward town, finding out they had, indeed, performed the proper treatment for Tricky by keeping him still and calm and applying loose pressure above the wound to reduce the spread of the venom. The vet, an older man by the name of Everett Thompson who had been practicing for years, told them he would have the antivenom and appropriate antibiotics ready for their arrival as Brian accelerated the vehicle toward the veterinarian's office.

* * *

"It's going to be all right, Tricky," Brian heard Gus murmuring from the backseat as he kept driving. "When we get back, I'm going to make sure you get a big, juicy steak. And I'm going to give you lots of belly rubs and kisses and jerky treats. I brought your Moo-Moo with you, too," Gus told the dog as he held it out to him, hoping that the dog would open his mouth and grab it like he always did, but all Tricky did was stare up at him with his big, expressive eyes, almost in a silent plead to help him. Sorrowfully Gus laid the toy down and reached over to slow stroke the dog's fur on his underbelly as he continued to talk soothingly to him.

Justin, who had managed to perch himself on the very end of the backseat now beside the dog, watched as Tricky's tail slowly thumped up and down weakly in response as Gus leaned over and laid his cheek against the dog's side; he had to bite his lips to hold back the tears that threatened to fall as he heard Gus say softly, "I love you, Tricky. You have to be all better." His gaze lifted just then to meet Brian's in the rearview mirror as he swallowed hard to regain his composure; he wasn't too surprised to see tears glistening in his partner's eyes as well as they met his and held onto his gaze for a few seconds before Brian cleared his throat and turned his attention back to the road.

"How much longer?" Justin asked, having never been to the vet's actual office before.

Brian glanced over at the GPS before advising, "About two more minutes. We're almost there."

Justin nodded as he reached down to lightly stroke Tricky's head back and forth with one hand and Gus's soft locks of hair with the other; the dog peered up at him as Justin took his knuckles and slowly rubbed them alongside the side of Tricky's neck as he periodically continued to whimper in pain; he noticed with alarm that the dog's paw seemed to have swelled somewhat since the bite. _Hold on, Tricky; just hold on..._

* * *

As soon as they pulled up, their vehicle was met by the doctor, who had a canvas stretcher ready to help transport Tricky into his small clinic. Brian grasped the other side of the stretcher as he and the doctor hurriedly carried Tricky inside, through the outer office and into a single examining room separated by a solid, wooden door; fortunately, there were no other clients waiting in the outer lobby area so they had the doctor's undivided attention. Despite his rather Spartan, no-nonsense facility, both men were confident in the doctor's abilities to treat Tricky effectively, having observed his professional demeanor and witnessing his expertise during the man's mobile house calls for their horses.

Justin grasped Gus's hand in his as they followed directly behind Brian and Dr. Thompson. "No, Buddy," he told the little boy as Gus attempted to proceed through the door separating the waiting area from the examining room to follow after Tricky, Brian and the doctor. He pulled back on Gus's hand, not letting go as he told him, "Let's wait out here and let the doctor and your father check Tricky out first."

He tugged the little boy over to a small row of red vinyl and silver metal chairs to pull him onto his lap and hold onto his tiny waist, placing his chin on Gus's shoulder comfortingly as Gus placed his smaller hands on top of Justin's. After a few seconds Gus reached up with one hand to wipe the tears away from his face as he occasionally sniffled in Justin's arms; Justin knew he was extremely worried about his best friend. But the words that came next out of Gus's mouth broke his heart.

"It's my fault, Papa," he told Justin. "It's my fault that Tricky is hurt."

Justin twisted the inconsolable little boy sideways on his lap and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders as he told Gus softly but firmly, "It was NOT your fault, Buddy. It was just an accident."

Gus sniffled again as the tears began to flow anew. "But... But he got hurt because of me! I wanted to see the snake! It was going to bite me, Papa, but Tricky got in the way and the snake bit him instead! It shouldn't have happened!"

Justin pulled the boy to his chest as Gus wrapped his arms around Justin's neck and his sobbing increased; Justin could feel the wetness seeping into his shirt as he slid his arms around Gus again and murmured, "He did that because he loves you and didn't want you to get hurt, Gus; he was protecting you, just like your dad and I do for you. He was watching over you when we weren't there to do it." Justin paused for a moment before he whispered, "He's a very special dog." _More like a guardian angel, _he thought. He could feel Gus nodding his head against his chest as the two of them stayed bound together, each seeking solace in the other as they waited for word on Tricky's condition.

After several seconds, Gus asked the question that Justin was dreading to answer. The little boy pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes and with his pain and guilt reflecting back at Justin asked in a choked-up voice, "Is, is he going to die, Papa? You can't let him die! I need him!" The tears once more trickled down the little boy's cheeks in a steady stream as he peered anxiously into Justin's face.

Justin licked his lips, finding them extraordinarily dry at the moment. How could he answer that? If he told Gus the dog would be okay and then he died, the boy would never believe another word he said. But he just couldn't bear to tell him it was possible that Tricky might succumb to his injuries; he refused to place that sort of burden on the little boy that he loved like his own son and who was already bearing a tremendous load of guilt, however misplaced. Praying that he was doing the right thing, then, he finally replied, "The doctor is going to do everything he can to make Tricky all better, Gus; I promise you. And I'm sure as soon as it's possible, he'll let you go in and see him." _Please... Let me be okay_, he silently pleaded as he glanced over at the closed door. He desperately wanted to be in there with Brian; he could only guess what his partner might be feeling at the moment. Brian may pretend that he could barely tolerate the dog, but Justin knew better. Brian was slowly becoming attached to Tricky, and now that the dog had apparently spared Gus from serious harm - or worse - if the dog died, Brian would be guilt-ridden just like his son. Not only that, he would have to come out here and face his son to deliver the worst news he possibly could and break his son's heart. He wanted to be in there with him, to be his partner in every sense of the word and to help support him. But he also knew how important it was that he remain with Gus and provide emotional solace for him as well. He knew that was the best show of support that he could give Brian at the moment. He sighed softly as he once more pulled Gus against his body and held him close. _Please, _he prayed. _Please let him be okay for ALL our sakes..._

* * *

Brian looked up at the doctor intently, trying to gauge by his body language and the occasional grunts he was issuing what Tricky's prognosis was; the dog was currently lying on a stainless steel table with an IV bottle hanging on a metal stand, dripping into the dog's body. Finally, after about five minutes of examination, poking, prodding and administering of some sort of other medication, he couldn't stand it any longer.

"Doc? What's the deal? Is he going to be okay?" He didn't realize he was holding his breath as the doctor pulled his stethoscope away from his and stood back up from his bent-over position on the other side of the table before he finally spoke.

"Well, rattlesnake bites are always tricky," he said with a smile as he noticed what he had said and observed Tricky thumping his tail slightly against the table. "But from what Justin told me the wound was inflicted just within the last hour or so, so we've started treatment within a good time frame. And I've put him on a regimen of antihistamines which should not only have a slight sedative effect but also reduce the swelling, which appears to be minimal. And the antivenom injection I gave him should help him as well. Good thing he was bitten on an extremity instead of around the neck or mouth area; when that happens a lot of times the dog's breathing passages close up and it can be fatal."

"Doc," Brian almost whined in impatience. "Is he going to be okay? This is my son's dog we're talking about here." _The dog that probably saved my son's life_, he added silently, vowing that if Tricky DID pull through, he was never going to think ill of this giant, walking carpet ever again.

"Well, he appears not to be in great discomfort, although I'm sure the wounded area will be painful for a few days. I think he was given treatment in sufficient time to ward off any serious ill-effects, and the wound doesn't appear to be a particularly deep one. I'd like to keep him overnight for observation - I've got a small cot in my office that I can sleep on to check in on him periodically - and with his size he'll need at least one more antivenom shot in about a month, but barring any changes during the night, I'll think this big fella will be good as new in no time." He reached down to lightly pat Tricky's side a few times as Brian breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"That's a big relief, Doc," he told the other man gratefully. "If I had to go out there and tell my son that his dog wasn't going to be okay... Well, I'd just as soon shoot myself than do that." And he meant it, too; my, how far Brian Kinney had come! If someone had told him years ago that he would put his own needs behind those of a little boy and a partner he now loved deeply, he would have sworn they had ingested some bad shit from Anita or one of the other drug dealers in town. But he wasn't regretful of that reality; he was just enormously happy that he could now go out and tell his son and partner that Tricky was going to be okay. He gazed down just then at the dog, who eyed him intently before his tail began to swish from side to side on the table. _Big, lovable shit,_ he groused silently as he reached down and patted Tricky lightly on the head. "Thanks, Boy," he murmured gratefully.

He let out a deep breath before he gazed over at the doctor. "Can I let my son come back and see him? And what time can we come back tomorrow and pick him up?"

The doctor scratched his chin thoughtfully for a moment before he replied, "Well, I should keep him for at least twelve hours or so. I don't normally open up until 10, but since I'll be staying the night here to keep an eye on him, how about 7 or 8? Just knock on the door when you get here and I'll let you in. If you'll help me lift him into that kennel over there, you can bring your son back to see him, but just for a few minutes. He needs to rest. And please make sure he doesn't do anything to get his dog too excited, although with the antihistamine I gave him that should sedate him somewhat."

Brian chuckled. "If it does, you're a miracle worker, Doc," he told the other man who frowned at him. "I'll explain later," he said as he reached over to slide his hands under the dog's body as the doctor did the same.

* * *

Gus finally lay quietly in Justin's arms, his tears slowly drying and his body exhausted as the door was opened separating the lobby area from the examination room; Justin immediately locked gazes with his partner's in silent question and received a soft smile of reassurance in return. He took in a deep breath of relief as he nodded back at him. Gus turned his head at the sound of the door opening, his heart dropping in disappointment when he did not see a familiar dog trotting along behind him.

"Tricky?" he asked anxiously, almost afraid to get an answer. "Where's Tricky? Where is he, Daddy?" He climbed down from Justin's lap as Brian walked up to scoop him up into his strong, reassuring arms, arms that instantly meant security and love to him. It didn't stop Gus from gazing into his eyes with alarm. "Tricky?"

"Shhh," Brian soothed him as he smiled into his eyes tenderly. "The doc thinks he's going to be okay, Sonny Boy. He'll have to keep him overnight just to keep an eye on him. But he thinks he'll be just fine."

"Are you sure, Daddy?" Gus asked him, his eyes boring into Brian's hopefully.

Brian smiled as he nudged his son's nose playfully with his own before leaning back to look him in the eyes; he gripped his son's small body tighter under his butt to cradle him securely as he told him, "Yes, I'm sure. He said we can come back tomorrow morning around 7 or 8 and pick him up to take him home. He'll have to take it a little easy for a while and he'll be a little sore around his paw, and he'll need a sort of booster shot against the snake bite in about a month - which means he'll probably have to go visit his own doctor back home to get it - but Doc Thompson thinks he's going to be his old self in no time."

"Yay!" Gus shouted out, his face instantly transformed to one of joy at the good news; Justin smiled at him behind Brian's back as the boy grinned back at him in return, his tears totally forgotten now. "I'm going to stay here with him!" he decided. "Daddy, go get his cow out of the car; he'll need that."

"Uh..." Brian turned around to try and seek help from his partner as Justin waggled his eyebrows at him as if to say _You're the dad; figure this one out yourself, old man_. He grinned back at Brian, who rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue at him before he told Gus, "Sonny Boy, the doc's going to be here with him all night long in case he needs anything. You've had a long day; let's all go home and eat some dinner and get to bed early so we can come back first thing in the morning and pick Tricky back up, okay? He'll be sleeping most of the time anyway until the medicine the doctor gave him wears off."

The expected, lower-lip pout - the one that normally got Gus whatever he wanted - instantly appeared as Gus pleaded, "Please, Daddy? We can't leave him here all alone! He doesn't _know_ that man! He'll be afraid! He's never spent a night away from me! I can't just leave him here! Please let me stay!"

Brian sighed softly as he gazed over at Justin, who turned one side of his mouth up in sympathy this time.

"How about this, Gus?" Justin interjected quietly as Brian hefted his son to readjust his position so they were both facing Justin now. "I'll stay here with Tricky so he has someone he knows with him and you and your father can go home, get some sleep and come back first thing in the morning. The vet's office is not made for little boys to spend the night."

"But the doctor is staying here somewhere," Gus pointed out to Brian's chagrin. _Smart little fucker..._

Brian surprised all of them, himself included, as he told his son softly but firmly, "No, Sonny Boy. _I'LL _stay with Tricky and you and Justin go on home; just don't forget to pick both me AND Tricky up tomorrow; I don't sleep in my clothes for just anyone and I'll need a shower first thing in the morning - especially after spending the night with Mr. Smelly Fur."

That at least got a giggle out of Gus over the new name for Tricky as Justin grinned back at him. He had to admit he was a little surprised that Brian was actually volunteering to stay with the dog he always professed to loathe - or at least barely tolerate. But then again, he never did think Brian detested the dog as much as he always let on - and preventing a son that you dearly loved from either being seriously hurt or worse was bound to put a lot of things in a different perspective.

Just then, Dr. Thompson walked through the door as Brian finished speaking. He turned to smile over at the little boy being held in his father's arms as he told him, "You can all go back and see the patient now; he's pretty groggy at the moment because I gave him some medicine to keep the swelling down. But he's resting comfortably. Just for a few minutes, though, okay?"

Gus began to squirm in his father's arms, impatient to go see Tricky, but Brian held firm. "Just a minute, Sonny Boy, we'll go see him, don't worry." He turned to the doctor to ask, "Doc, my son doesn't want Tricky to be alone tonight, even though he knows you'll be here." He couldn't believe he was asking this, but he did anyway. "Would it be okay if I just stayed next to his kennel tonight? My son would feel a lot better if someone Tricky knows stayed with him - just in case."

The doctor pondered that; in all the years of his practice he had never encountered that request before. "Well, it won't be the most comfortable arrangement," he warned at last. "But if you really want to, I suppose I can find some extra blankets lying around somewhere to spread on the ground next to his kennel. You sure you want to do that?"

_Good question_, Brian responded silently. But he already knew the answer; he OWED this big, overbearing, galoot of a dog. "Yeah, I'm sure," he told him as he gazed into his son's eyes that were shining back at him with both gratitude and love. "Ready to go see Tricky now?" he asked Gus, but he didn't need an answer; it was obvious by the look of delight on his son's face and the corresponding nod as he gently lowered him to the ground and Gus began to urgently pull on his hand toward the door. Justin stood up as Brian reached over to grasp his other hand in his and give it a squeeze; together, the family of three followed the doctor through the door and back to the examination room.

* * *

_Later that Evening at Britin - Brian and Justin's bedroom_

Freshly scrubbed from his bath and still slightly damp, a little boy clad in yellow Curious George pajama top and bottoms scampered over and climbed up onto his father and Justin's bed, bouncing slightly as he did. Justin smiled as he followed along behind him and lay down beside him. "This one?" he asked Gus as he pointed to a children's book that was lying on the side table. Gus's latest subject interest when it came to reading was normally one about anything squishy or slimy - frogs, turtles, lizards, bugs, and... Snakes. But not tonight; tonight he wanted Justin to read from a Peanuts comic book, one that featured Snoopy in most of the stories. Yes, it was definitely a 'dog hero' sort of night for them as Justin reached over and picked up the book.

"Papa?" Gus asked from his place at his side. "Before you read to me can we call and talk to Daddy and Tricky?"

Justin grinned as he reached to slide open the shallow drawer of the nightstand to retrieve his cellphone. "I think that can be arranged," he told him as he pressed the quick-dial number for Brian's cellphone. A few seconds later, Brian answered it on the first ring.

"Yappy Days Doggie Day Care, human pincushion speaking."

Justin chuckled. "That comfortable, are you?"

He could hear a distinctive snort on the other end as Brian retorted, "YOU trying sleeping on cement with a few layers of threadbare blankets between you and the floor. Plus these things reek of wet dog fur, piss, and shit. And I thought CUJO smelled bad after he came out of the pool; next to these blankets he smells like a fucking rose. I'll need to take a shower for a week and have these shirt and pants run through the cleaners at least three times just to get all the smell out of them." Why hadn't he taken Justin up on his offer to stay with the dog instead? He knew why - he knew Justin would take good care of - yes, _their _son - but he also knew he felt a need to tend to this animal who had helped save his son from serious injury or worse, as much as it pained him - literally.

Justin smiled. "Well, I'll try not to rub it in too much that Gus is sleeping with me in our bed tonight - on our new Egyptian cotton sheets."

Brian groaned; did he have to bring that up now? "I thought you weren't going to rub it in," he grumbled. "Do you realize how that makes me feel, imaging you lying there on those dark navy-blue sheets in our bed while I'm lying here on these stinky, smelly blankets? You are not playing fair, Justin."

"Oh, I forgot," Justin teased as he glanced over at Gus and smiled at him. "If it's any help, I'll make sure to make it all better when you get home tomorrow." He would have loved to elaborate a bit more, but with Gus lying next to him, drinking everything in that he said, he would have to be content with getting his point across by more subtle measures.

"Count on it," Brian whispered huskily, understanding perfectly why Justin couldn't be more specific.

Justin's face warmed at the husky, sexy tone of his partner's voice as he cleared his throat and asked, "How's the patient?"

"The patient is presently out of it - snoring like a bassoon. He's even chasing a rabbit - or probably me - in his sleep; he's got both front and back paws going a mile a minute." He glanced over nearby to inside Tricky's kennel. "If he goes any faster, he's going to turn into a thoroughbred. He seems okay to me; the doc went off to bed about an hour ago - he said to wake him if anything changes. So far, so good."

Justin nodded, even though he knew Brian couldn't see him. Gus reached for the phone as he said, "There's someone that wants to talk to you. Hold on."

"Justin?"

Justin motioned with his hand for Gus to wait a minute as he said, "Yeah?"

Brian paused for a few seconds before he replied, "Thanks."

Justin frowned. "For what?"

Brian cleared his throat again; his typical signal that he was wading into emotional - and still somewhat uncomfortable - waters. "For helping me know what to do with Tricky earlier today. For watching over Gus in the waiting room when the Doc was looking Tricky over. For...For just being _you;_ the best partner anyone could ever have."

Justin could imagine Brian poking his tongue into his cheek as he suddenly choked up over the unexpected and heartfelt statement. He swallowed hard before he answered softly, "That goes both ways, you know. That last part, I mean. I didn't even get to thank you earlier for my new studio."

Brian chuckled slightly. "You can make up for that tomorrow... And the day after that and the day after that and..."

"I get it," Justin laughed in response. "Hold on; I'll give the phone to Gus."

Brian smiled as he waited for his son to come on the phone.

"Hi, Daddy! How's Tricky?"

Brian grinned at his son's voice; it sounded much more like normal now. Once more he felt grateful for having a partner like Justin who took such good care of his child. "He's doing fine, Sonny Boy; sleeping like a log right now and dreaming like crazy."

"Is he moving his paws back and forth?" Gus asked curiously.

Brian laughed softly, not wanting to wake up the slumbering beast. "Yeah, they're going like crazy; I think that's a good sign. He's probably caught at least two rabbits and a squirrel already."

Gus giggled, a sound that went straight to Brian's heart. "Daddy, you're silly. How could you know that? Maybe he's chasing _you."_

"Yeah," Brian conceded. "I thought about that possibility, too." He grinned, even though he knew Gus couldn't see him. "I'm going to say goodnight, Sonny Boy, because I know it's getting near your bedtime and your old man is bushed. But don't worry - I'll make sure Cujo is well taken care of until you and Justin can come and pick us up tomorrow."

"Okay, Daddy," Gus replied. Brian thought he could hear some sort of noise on the other end just before Gus confirmed what it was. "I just sent you and Tricky a kiss; did you get it?"

Brian grinned more of a goofy-type smile now as he said, "Yeah, Gus, we sure did. And I just sent one back to you - and Justin. Now get some sleep and I'll see you in the morning."

"Can't," was the terse reply.

Brian frowned as just a tendril of concern emerged. "Why not?"

"Papa hasn't read to me yet; you know I can't go to sleep before one of you reads to me first."

Brian let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, I forgot; of course not. Well, as soon as he's done, you make sure to go to bed so you'll be well-rested for tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," Gus told him; he started to hand the phone back to Justin, but then quickly put it back up to his ear to add, "I love you. Will you give Tricky a kiss and a belly rub for me and tell him I love him, too?"

Brian crinkled his nose at the thought of kissing his companion as he said nonetheless, "I will, Gus. I love you, too. Bye, Buddy."

"Bye, Daddy; see you tomorrow."

Justin smiled as Gus handed him the phone; turning it off, he placed it back into the top drawer, silently hoping that Brian's night wouldn't go too badly for him. "Ready to hear about Snoopy's adventures now?" he asked as Gus handed him the book and he snuggled closer to him as they both sat up straighter with their backs against the headboard. He nodded with a smile as Justin began to read, placing his hand on Justin's forearm. Five minutes and ten pages later, he was fast asleep on Brian's side of the bed. Justin reached across his small body to quietly place the comic book back on top of the bedside table before he switched off the light and slid back under the covers. A few minutes later, he, too, was fast asleep, Gus curled up next to him as he placed his arm around the little boy's shoulder.

* * *

Chapter End Notes:

_Please forgive me if my treatment for Tricky's snake bite is not 100% accurate; I tried to be as realistic as possible, but I am by no means an expert. There will be one more chapter to this one before it is done; the next part will be posted very shortly. Thanks for reading and for your support.:) And thanks to boriqua522 for being my beta.:)  
_


	7. And They Called It Puppy Love

_Tricky finally gets to come home before he and Gus say goodbye for the summer; the boys come to a mutual decision regarding their relationship._

* * *

_Early the Next Morning_

At precisely 7:00 a.m., Justin knocked on the door to Dr. Thompson's practice, Gus jiggling impatiently beside him as he bounced lightly on one foot and then the other. He couldn't recall the last time he had voluntarily woke up at this early hour, but he knew when he and Gus had gone to bed last night that the little boy would be raring to go bright and early, so he wasn't surprised when he had felt a nudging on his upper arm at 6:30 this morning.

The fact that he had left his cellphone turned on but they hadn't received any calls was a good sign; that must mean that Tricky had continued to hold his own and hopefully improve through the night. He silently hoped that Brian hadn't had a disastrous night, but between his horrendous sleeping conditions and his poor sleeping accommodations something told him his partner probably hadn't slept at all last night. As he and Gus heard a deadbolt being slid back and the handle turning, he vowed to make sure Brian felt all warm and cozy later tonight when everyone was back home and things were back to normal; at least as normal as they could be with a rambunctious little boy and a barrelhouse of a dog staying with them.

Dr. Thompson appeared in the opened doorway, flashing a nod and a sheepish smile at them over his somewhat tousled appearance. "Sorry for looking like I just got up - but I DID just get up," he admitted as Justin smiled back at him over his homespun humor. "Come on in."

Justin nodded as he and Gus walked inside. "How's Tricky doing, Doc?"

The doctor slowly led them over to the door separating the waiting area from his examination room as he told them, "Well, I checked in on him about two hours ago and he and his 'guardian' were doing just fine; you'll see what I mean when you see them," he told Justin mysteriously with a smile as they walked toward the door. He turned around to place his index finger across his lips for the universal sign to be quiet as he slowly opened the door and they followed him inside to the examination room. It was in the shape of an "L" with the holding kennel off to the left where it was obscured from easy view. As they rounded the corner, however, Justin had to bite back a laugh as Gus giggled softly; Brian had somehow managed to unlock the kennel door sometime during the night and was now fast asleep on his back with his head lying on Tricky's side as a makeshift pillow; the aforementioned stinky blankets were tangled up all around his feet, and his left hand was curled around Tricky's injured paw, right above the wound. As was typical of Brian with his slightly deviated septum, his lips were slightly parted as he snored softly, oblivious to being a public spectacle. The stuffed cow that was Tricky's favorite was clutched in Brian's hand. As they approached closer, Tricky's eyes opened at the sound and he began to thump his tail excitedly.

Justin knew it was just a matter of seconds before Brian woke up, so he quickly reached inside his jacket pocket and retrieved his cellphone; hurrying to hold it up, he quickly snapped a couple of shots as Gus peered up at him gleefully, the two of them grinning at each other like two co-conspirators.

Tricky's tail pounded even more enthusiastically when the doctor bent down to unlatch the metal sliding pin holding the door closed as he struggled to rise from his position of lying on his side; he not only succeeded in doing so, but he managed to throw Brian's head off his body at the same time as it hit the concrete none too gently.

"Wha...?" Brian groused as he awakened and found himself staring up into a set of big, dark-brown eyes before he was promptly pelted with saliva raindrops from Tricky's open, panting mouth. "Shit," he muttered as he turned his head away from the source of the assault and wiped the moisture away with the back of his hand in disgust. "He's back to normal all right."

Justin laughed at him in amusement. "Care to explain how you wound up inside Tricky's kennel last night? You could have told me you needed your ID tag and I would have brought it with me along with your collar this morning."

Gus giggled as Brian glared back at Justin, the _fuck you_ being broadcast to his partner loud and clear.

"Just give me a minute to get out of this prison first," he muttered as Tricky threatened to run him over. For just a second, he wished that the dog was still out of it, but he quickly quashed that down, knowing he didn't wish that at all. Despite the dog's over-the-top exuberance he had to deal with all the time, he would much rather endure the typical Tricky torment than witness the pain and sorrow his son had to go through yesterday after the dog had been injured.

A sudden mooing noise immediately erupted as he placed his hand down on the floor of the kennel to brace himself and he turned red with embarrassment as he realized he was holding Tricky's infamous stuffed cow in his hand.

Justin placed his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing, but Gus had no such reservations regarding his curiosity. "Daddy, what are you doing with Tricky's toy?" he asked in a tone of voice reminiscent of a teacher talking to a recalcitrant child. "Give that to him right now."

Justin DID snort in amusement then; even the doctor peered over at him with a smile on his face as he reached over to retrieve some white medical tape and a piece of white gauze bandage from a nearby stainless steel table. "Hold on just a minute and Tricky will be all set to go," he told Gus as he squatted down by the kennel's door. "If you come out for a second, Brian, I can unhook his IV."

"Gladly," Brian groused as he placed the cow down like it was a dead rat and wiped his drool-coated hand on his pant leg; for once he wasn't too concerned about getting his expensive pants dirty. They already smelled like a combination of antiseptic wipes, dog shit and piss anyway and would be on their way to the cleaners for a thorough dry cleaning before he ever even considered putting them on again.

Crawling the couple of steps over to the door, he turned around to Tricky to say in a commanding voice, "Stay!" before he reached up on the outside of the large metal cage and began to pull himself out; not before he managed to hit his head on the top of the cage door, however.

"Ow!" he yelled as he pulled himself all the way out and the doc took his place just inside the kennel to remove the IV. He stood up next to Justin and his son, who both looked remarkably refreshed and well-rested unlike him. "Sleep well?" he whispered loudly to Justin as he bent to speak in his ear.

Justin grinned as he watched the doctor pick up Tricky's injured paw and examine it; the wound was now bandaged and the foot looked like it wasn't nearly as swollen as it had been before. "Like a baby," he told Brian as he turned his head to peer up at him, his eyes twinkling. "Didn't even notice you were gone with Gus keeping me company on your side of the bed."

"I'll remind you of that tonight when we're alone," Brian huskily half threatened/half promised him as Justin licked his lips playfully at him. "How's it look, Doc?" Brian asked a little more loudly as the doctor backed up to emerge from the cage with his supplies.

The doctor nodded as Tricky slowly placed weight on the foot and took a couple tentative steps; he seemed to be favoring it slightly, but other than that he appeared to be in fairly good spirits. He wagged his tail furiously as Gus climbed into the cage without hesitation and threw his arms around his neck to bury his face in the soft, thick blond fur.

"I'm so happy you're okay, Buddy!" he cried out in relief as Tricky wagged his tail furiously at the attention. "You can go home now!" He glanced up at Brian worriedly. "He CAN go home, can't he, Daddy?"

Brian peered over the doctor nearby, who smiled and nodded. "Looks like we have the green light," he told him.

Gus frowned at his father's choice of words as Brian chuckled over his puzzled expression. He grinned over at Justin as he told his son, "I mean, yes, Sonny Boy, it's time to take Cujo home." This time the vet gave him a strange look as he shrugged. "Nickname; long story."

The vet nodded, still curious about the moniker but choosing to let it slide; after all, over all the years he had been in practice, he had pretty much heard it all when it came to pet names, from a horse named Pinky to an iguana named Lulu. As Tricky happily walked out of his metal cage, the doctor advised, "Make sure he takes it easy for the next few days - no strenuous activity. And he'll need at least one more antivenin shot in thirty days. He might need more than one; he's a hefty dog. If he develops any more swelling, becomes lethargic or seems to be in a great deal of pain, I need to see him back here ASAP. But I'm confident he's on the mend now."

Brian snorted. "Doc, no strenuous activity? Hefty? You should have been a comedian instead of a vet." He sighed. "We'll try - but Cujo here doesn't know the meaning of the word _relax. _ You don't have any sedative-laced dog snacks lying around, do you?" he asked hopefully.

The vet grinned. "Sorry... Fresh out." He smiled as the dog walked up to Brian and nudged his right hand with his nose, trying to get him no doubt to stroke the top of his head and get some more attention; he somehow had managed to procure his cow again, which he held firmly in his jowls. "He seems to be as attached to you as you are to him; I've never had anyone spend the night with their pet in the animal's cage before."

Justin snickered as Brian elbowed him in the waist. "I just thought it would be easier to keep an eye on him that way, that's all," he grumbled a little self-consciously. He knew Justin wasn't buying that for a second, but he was trying to retain just a modicum of dignity anyhow; that was hard to do, though, when he smelled like one of the animal exhibits at the Pittsburgh zoo - one of the smellier ones. He sniffed his shirt and wrinkled his nose, suddenly feeling like he was lower than elephant dung. "Justin, you drive," he told his partner. "That way we can stop at a car wash on the way home and I can hose myself off."

Justin laughed as he clamped a hand on Brian's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. He leaned in to whisper in Brian's ear so no one else could hear, "Don't worry, I'll help wash it all off you when we get home and make sure you're squeaky clean." He nipped at his lower earlobe playfully.

Brian turned his head to whisper back, "Damn straight you will or I'll spend the night in that nice, big bed in your studio - _alone _and dirty."

"I like dirty... Sometimes," Justin responded with a sly smile.

"Well, you'll just _adore_ me on the way home, then," Brian said dryly as he held his arm up to take a whiff of his underarm. He crinkled his nose in disgust; just as he thought. He smelled worse than shit - dog shit.

Justin wriggled his nose as well when he got a good whiff just then of Brian's 'adorableness.' "Yeah," he responded with a grimace. "I'm getting a good preview of it right now. I suggest driving home with all the windows open, too."

Brian grinned evilly as he wrapped his arm around Justin's waist to pull him even closer so his partner could get an even better smell. He grinned as Justin rewarded him with a long-suffering look and squirmed in his grasp before he finally let him go and reached over to tousle his son's head affectionately. "Ready to go, boys?" he asked all involved.

"Yeah!" Gus cried out in delight as he patted Tricky on the head. "We're busting out of here, Boy!" he told him gleefully, lightly jiggling up and down in excitement.

"Uh, uh, uh," Brian gently scolded him as he reached down to grasp Tricky by the collar. "He needs to take things slow, Sonny Boy," he told him. "Justin, did you bring his leash? Otherwise, I know that dog; as soon as we let go of him outside, he'll be gone faster than you can say frog on a hot rock."

Justin eyed him warily before he burst out laughing. "Where did you pick that up from?"

Brian shrugged. "Hey, we've been out here too long now; I'm being turned against my will into a hick. Now round up the young'n and the critter and let's hightail it out of here back to the palace; no offense, Doc," he assured the vet as Thompson smiled.

"Don't worry," the doctor assured him. "You'll get my bill in the mail soon."

* * *

_Later that Evening..._

"Ah," Brian sighed as, still slightly damp from the shower, he fell back onto his and Justin's bed, luxuriating in the soft feel of the sateen sheets and the memory foam mattress underneath him, his eyes closing in bliss. Except for the one time when he had spent the night in jail after being pulled over with Michael and Ted, last night had been the worst night of non-sleep he had ever experienced; the concrete floor of the kennel area had made him feel achy all over. After an obscenely-long time spent under the rainforest shower head and a sensuous fuck with his favorite - and only - partner, however, the entire sordid experience was slowly ebbing away now. That is, if only Justin could quit teasing him about it. No sooner had they come home than his partner had commandeered one of Tricky's play toys and had been using it to torment him over and over again. Finally, though, after coming close to fucking his brains out and with both Gus and Tricky firmly ensconced in Gus's racecar bed for the night, apparently Justin, too, was succumbing to the harrowing events of the past twenty-four hours as they both lay there quietly, relishing in some much-needed solitude.

His eyes flew open, however, a few seconds later as another squeak sounded from the other side of the bed. "Justin, I swear if you squeeze that damn pork chop one more time I'm going to rip the squeaker out of it and ram it down your throat!" he told him without turning his head to look at him; he could see the toy being waved teasingly in the air above his head out of the corner of his eye as he sighed. "For the last time, I am NOT a dog!" he growled as he heard a couple more squeaks and then lunged for the offensive instrument. Justin, however, was quicker than he was, having just enough time to stuff it under his body out of Brian's reach as he lay down on his back, eyes twinkling back at Brian with a goofy grin on his face as he held up both hands to show they were now empty.

"Aaargh!" Brian sputtered in frustration as he flopped down on his side of the bed, apparently in defeat. That was just long enough to deceive Justin into thinking he had once more given up before he attacked, twisting his body to flop on top of his partner's as he began to tickle him mercilessly, right at his waist where he knew he was the most vulnerable. Justin shrieked and laughed as his hands clawed at Brian's shoulders for purchase, trying to wrestle his partner's larger body away unsuccessfully.

"Stop it!" he choked out in between gales of giggles and laughter. The pork chop squeaked periodically under his back as he rocked from side to side in a vain attempt to push Brian off him, but it was no use. "Asshole! Mangy dog! Heel!"

Brian appeared horrified at the insult before he reached under Justin and managed to yank the obnoxious toy that looked like a marbled pork chop out from under his partner's body and fling it across the floor, well out of Justin's reach. Only when he knew he could no longer be tortured with its squeaking did he let up on his attack, capturing Justin's hands in his own and pinning them to either side of his partner's body as he draped himself over his smaller frame and his legs tangled firmly with his.

Their faces were inches apart as Justin's chest rose up and down from their exertion; as Brian gazed down into the impish, flushed face of his lover, his eyes sparkling back at him playfully, he couldn't help thinking how incredibly lucky he was to have such a beautiful man that was so deeply devoted to him and to his son. His previous expression of pretend aggravation and playful aggression quickly dissolved into something tenderer as he gazed into Justin's eyes for a few seconds before their lips came together for a gentle kiss that slowly changed into a passionate one. Of course, that wasn't so unusual where they were involved; even after all this time, Justin was his favorite aphrodisiac and always would be.

They finally parted for some much-needed air as Brian pulled his head back to look down into Justin's eyes; he broke off his clasp of his partner's right hand to brush back some hair from Justin's forehead, threading the soft locks through his fingers, another one of his favorite indulgences as he admitted, "Yesterday was pretty fucking scary - and not just because I had to sleep in my designer clothes."

Justin smiled as he reached up with his free hand to place his palm against Brian's cheek and slowly stroke the slightly-stubbled skin. "I know," he admitted, his face growing serious. He peered softly into Brian's eyes as he said, "But we came through it, just like we always do when we're together."

Brian caught Justin's hand in his as he brought it up to his lips to kiss the knuckles. "We always DO perform better together, Sunshine," he told him with an evil gleam in his eye. "In fact, we're the _epitome_ of togetherness."

Justin grinned as Brian held their hands against his chest, both their hearts beating rapidly as one. "Oh, and how's that? It took us long enough just to figure out what togetherness was; well, at least one of us, anyway."

Brian squeezed his hand tightly. "Well, I know now," he told him softly. "And I don't plan on us being anything BUT together for the rest of our lives. Does that meet with your approval, Mr. Taylor?"

Justin found himself tearing up over the implied sentiment about committing to a lifetime together; he couldn't think of anything he'd rather do than wake up in Brian's arms and go to bed with him every night after being made love to by this incredible man. "Yes," he whispered back as Brian nuzzled his head with his cheek and began to rain butterfly kisses all over his neck, his ears, his eyes, everywhere; he could barely think straight when Brian did that. It always surprised him with how sexual Brian was that it always seemed like the unexpected gentle touches consistently affected him the most. "I, I wouldn't have it any other way," he managed to gasp out as their groins rubbed together and Brian's hands began to explore everywhere, signaling one more round of lovemaking. As Brian began to demonstrate how much he loved him with the best way he knew how, Justin couldn't help thinking that the rest of their lives nearly wouldn't be long enough.

* * *

_Two-and-a-Half Weeks Later_

Tricky let out a joyous bark as he waited impatiently next to Brian in the kitchen; he wasn't quite sure what he had done to deserve this special treatment all of a sudden, but this business of enjoying a daily run with his favorite human (well, second favorite behind his little master, anyway) traveling along the dirt trail of a horseback riding path each day, followed by a breakfast consisting of an expensive, kibble dog food and three real meat jerky strips, was becoming a much-anticipated ritual. And the most amazing part of all was that he didn't even have to do any tricks for them - other than sitting up, that is and begging, which he was a consummate pro at. He just sat there while Brian carefully placed a strip on the tip of his nose and gave him the order that on the count of three he could raise his head and catch them in his mouth to eat it. He was having such fun! And Brian even let him swim in the big pool now!

He let out another impatient yip as Brian shushed him. "Quiet, Cujo, or you'll blow my cover!" he whispered loudly to the dog as he undid the top zipper of the outrageously large treat bag and took out the three strips. He was glad that both Justin and Gus were fairly late sleepers; it was a lot easier than having to explain his actions to them.

"Okay, okay," he grumbled as he closed the treat bag back up and placed it on one of the barstool chairs before he turned to observe his companion. "All right, you know the drill, Cujo; sit!" he commanded softly but firmly. The dog's eyes sparkled in eagerness and his tail swished from side to side on the hardwood floor as he promptly sat down and looked expectantly at Brian. "Stay," Brian warned him as he reached over and placed the first jerky treat on the tip of Tricky's nose crossways. "Okay...Now on the count of three, you can have it." Brian grinned. "One...two...five! Four! Seven! _Three_!" Instantly on the count of three, Tricky threw his head up in the air and lofted the treat just high enough to catch it deftly in his mouth on the way down; two bites and the treat was promptly swallowed.

Brian snorted. "Looks like you and Justin have something in common," he muttered in amazement; it was hard to know which male ate the fastest. "Okay, here's the next one." The procedure was then repeated again for the third strip until Brian held up his hands to show they were empty. "That's it, Buster," he advised. "No more until tomorrow." He quickly turned and grabbed the bag to once more stuff it inside the box of sugarless wheat cereal; he knew that both Justin and Gus hated any breakfast cereal that was considered 'healthy,' so it would be the last place they would suspect he was hiding such a large bag of treats for Tricky. "No more now until tomorrow," he told the dog as he reached down and affectionately scratched behind Tricky's ears; the dog's tail began to wag even more furiously at the attention as Brian quickly washed his hands and then dried them on a dishtowel just like he always did after their morning run. "Off you go," he said softly as he made a shooing type motion with his hands; Tricky immediately turned and trotted over to the back door, promptly disappearing through the large dog door flap that had mysteriously appeared a few days ago seemingly out of nowhere.

Justin and Gus had discovered it after leaving Brian alone with the dog for a few hours that day to go visit his mother and Debbie; Brian had downplayed the significance of it when they had returned, simply telling Justin that the sliding glass door extension made better sense energy wise than having to constantly open and close their regular doors each time Tricky wanted to go out into the fenced-in part of the yard, but Justin, of course, wasn't buying that for a second. Still, he had merely nodded and remained silent, letting Brian think he had deceived him into actually believing that.

Now as Brian walked over to make himself some coffee, he heard some soft shuffling from behind him and turned to observe his pajama-clad son walking bleary-eyed into the kitchen. He couldn't help smiling tenderly at him as he greeted him with, "Hey, Sonny Boy! What are you doing up so early?"

Gus rubbed his eyes as he walked up to his father, who placed the glass carafe on the burner and started it up before reaching down to scoop Gus up into his arms.

"Where's Tricky?" Gus asked with some concern; ever since the episode with the snake, whenever Tricky was gone for any length of time, it worried him even though both Justin and his father had assured him that the incident with the snake was a fluke and would probably never, ever happen again. "Is he here? He wasn't in bed with me."

"He's fine," Brian hastened to reassure him. "He just went out the dog door to do his business. Want some breakfast?"

Gus nodded sleepily as Brian gently deposited him down onto one of the counter chairs, walking over to pull out the orange juice from the refrigerator and pour his son a squat glassful. "Oats and Honey?" he asked Gus as the little boy nodded.

Gus waited for his father to pour him a bowl of cereal and take a few bites before he eyed his father curiously from his place next to him at the counter. "Daddy?"

Brian took a quick bit of his wheat toast with marmalade before he responded, "Yeah, Buddy?"

"You love Poppa like I love Tricky." It wasn't a question exactly. _More like a declaration_, Brian told himself silently as he remembered a similar sentiment after he had seen Justin for the first time in his black tux at the custom tailor shop. God, his beauty had taken his breath away that day in his suit! How he rued never getting the opportunity to see him wearing it on their wedding day - or experiencing the pleasure of taking it off him on their wedding _night_. He swallowed the lump of regret that suddenly appeared in his throat as he refocused on the present to softly agree, "Yes, Gus, I love Justin very much, just like you love Tricky." He knew it really wasn't the same, but to Gus it probably seemed like it was, so there really wasn't much point in trying to explain the differences to him.

Gus nodded thoughtfully. "I would marry Tricky if I could," he said unexpectedly as Brian stifled a laugh at the absurd statement. "That's what people do when they love each other, isn't it?"

_Uh, Oh. _Brian had a feeling he knew where this conversation was heading, but he didn't know a way to avoid it so he simply stated, "Well, that is one way that people show that they love each other, I guess." _Even though the vast majority only do it out of a jaded sense of responsibility, tradition, or delusion,_ he couldn't help thinking.

"So why don't you want to marry Poppa?" Gus asked as he held his milk-coated spoon up in mid-air over the bowl and blinked his big, brown eyes at his father curiously.

_There it was - the proverbial elephant in the room. _"Uh..." For once Brian found himself at a loss for words. To Gus it was all so simple and so black and white, when he knew it was far from it. Or was it? Was it really that outrageous and unrealistic to think that one day he and Justin _would_ marry? Would it be so bad to show their friends and family that they were exclusively committed to each other now through participation in an admittedly hetero-like ceremony and the sharing of rings - rings that he still kept for some reason even after Justin had left for New York? After all, he DID propose to him once.

"You said you love him," Gus pointed out as the dog door flap came to life and Tricky came bounding eagerly into the room; he stopped for a few moments to visit the water bowl, the water splashing everywhere as he lapped it up enthusiastically before he trotted over to Gus and nudged him under the hand lying on the little boy's knee. Gus stroked the dog's head as he waited for his father to answer. "You don't want someone else to come along and ask him to get married, do you? Marissa told me that could happen."

Brian frowned. "Marissa?"

Gus nodded. "Yeah, she goes to school with me. She's real smart."

"Gus..." Brian warned his son as he noticed him slipping a few pieces of the sugar-coated cereal to Tricky under the breakfast counter. "No food scraps, remember?"

Gus pouted slightly, but to Brian's amusement the dog quickly reversed gears as Tricky snatched up a green tennis ball lying nearby and trotted over to Brian, who felt the ball before he saw it with his hand under the table. Almost without thinking about it, he grabbed it and quickly lobbed the ball over toward the other side of the kitchen, Tricky's toenails skidding on the hardwood floor as he ran excitedly after it.

"Well, Daddy?" he heard his son say with just a hint of impatience in his voice.

"Well, what?" Brian replied obtusely, knowing full well what Gus was asking.

"What if someone _else_ asks Poppa to marry him? What would you do then?"

Brian sighed, clearly uncomfortable with this line of questioning. He knew he needed to reassure his son somehow, though. "Gus, your Poppa isn't going anywhere. He loves me AND you, and would never think about leaving us. You don't have to worry about that at all." And he really believed that; he was confident enough now in his and Justin's love to be sure of that fact, and they had long ago given up the need to be with others. Making love without any physical barriers between them now was the most wondrous, mind-blowing feeling in the world, and now that he knew what it was like he couldn't imagine being with anyone else, nor would he want to be. So what was he afraid of? If he really DID think that wearing a symbol of their love for each other was so unnecessary, then why did he still have the damn rings?

But Gus was still not completely satisfied, just like most inquisitive children his age. "I wouldn't want anyone else to be my Poppa, Daddy. I love him. If you won't marry him, maybe _I _should to make sure he doesn't leave."

* * *

From his place out in the hallway, Justin smiled wistfully at Gus's heartfelt words and simplistic answer to his concerns. These past few years with Brian had been the happiest of his life, and he loved Brian more deeply than ever; he couldn't imagine ever being apart from him now. And yes, despite what he had told Brian that day in the loft, they didn't NEED the rings and the vows but he still craved them, still longed for them. And he was constantly amazed by the ways that Brian strived to make him happy; after all, the man had bought him a fucking mansion and had built him a state-of-the-art studio. The attention to detail he had put into its design had been amazing and absolutely perfect for him, proving just how well his partner knew him and how much he loved him. So yes, he would love one day to proudly wear that band of gold on his left ring finger and to introduce Brian not only as his partner but his _husband_. For now, though, he would have to try and be content with simply basking in the love that Brian showed for him every day.

He held his breath now as he waited for Brian's response; he was stunned when he heard him say, "Well, now, Sonny Boy, I don't know if I can let you do that. I might just have to marry him myself and let you find someone else. Besides, don't you think Tricky might get jealous if there's another man in the household back home? I bet he's used to getting all your attention up there, and if you marry your Poppa, he might not like that. And if he goes back with you, I would have to stay here because of my business and I would get really lonely without both of you."

Justin's eyes widened; he was still trying to get over the '_I might just have to marry him myself_' part as he waited for Gus's response. Did Brian really mean that or was he just saying that to appease Gus?

"I didn't think about that," Gus said as Tricky came running up with the lime-green ball in his mouth and sat up expectantly next to Brian under the counter bar; when Brian didn't act quickly enough, he reached up and laid his front paw on top of Brian's knee until he looked down at him and rolled his eyes. Taking a moment to throw the ball again - this time causing it to skitter down the hallway as Tricky rushed after it - he turned to look at his son as Gus bit his lip in thought.

"You would really miss Poppa if he wasn't around," Gus decided. "Just like I would miss Tricky."

Brian nodded, relieved that his son understood. "I sure would," he said softly with just the hint of a smile. _Just as much as I miss YOU when YOU'RE gone_, he thought just a little sadly. But at least with Gus he knew his little boy would be back frequently and he would get to see him during their Skype conversations. It wasn't quite the same as being together in the physical sense of the word, but it did lessen the pangs of separation just a bit. He recalled how badly he had missed Justin when his partner had been in New York last year; providing him with a brand-new, contemporary studio where the stables once stood in a blatant attempt to keep the man he loved happy and remaining here at Britin, then, was an extremely small price to pay to have his partner back home where he belonged.

"Okay, then," Gus decided with a nod of his own as his lower lip jutted out defiantly. "But don't take too long, Daddy."

Brian grinned fondly at his son. "I'll do my best, Sonny Boy." He reached over to affectionately ruffle his son's hair as he said, "Now you'd better eat your breakfast before it all turns to mush," he advised as he took a sip of his now-warm coffee. As Gus nodded and dug into his cereal, Brian gazed out the kitchen window, lost deep in thought. A sudden, sharp yelp - Brian knew by now it was a happy, excited yelp, though, so he wasn't worried - erupted from the hallway as he turned to observe Justin walking into the kitchen to join them with Tricky close on his heels, ball firmly in his mouth; Justin's hair was slightly mussed up from sleep and he was wearing only a pair of loose-fitting, navy-blue cotton pajama bottoms that hung precariously low on his slender hips; Brian's heart did a slight lurch just like it always did when Justin entered a room as his partner walked up and placed his hands on his shoulders to bend down and briefly kiss his lips before reaching over to tousle Gus's hair.

"Hey, you two. You're both up early," he told them with a smile, making sure to pretend he hadn't heard any of their previous conversation as he walked over to pour himself a cup of black coffee.

"No, think again, Picasso," Brian responded dryly. "It's almost ten o'clock." Justin sat down next to his partner as Brian placed a hand on his thigh and gave it a squeeze. "Did I wear you out last night, Sunshine?"

Justin smiled back at him sweetly. "You always do that," he pointed out. "Just like I do that to _you."  
_

Gus gazed at the two men curiously. "Were you doing a lot of ex'cising in your room last night, Daddy?" he asked as he slurped up another spoonful of cereal, not quite able to get the word out just right.

The two men exchanged a meaningful look before Brian replied with a grin, "Yeah, we did. A LOT of exercising."

"I like to ex'cise, Daddy. Can I come up to your room tonight and 'exacise' with you?"

Justin giggled softly. "Well, _Daddy_? Can he?"

Brian gave him a warning glance as he told Gus, "I don't think that'd be a good idea, Buddy. We don't 'exercise' until after you go to bed. Besides, you do a lot of swimming with Tricky, so you don't need as much exercise."

To his relief, Gus nodded in acceptance as he finished up the last of his cereal. "Can we go swimming right now, Daddy?"

Brian sighed; his son seemed to be turning into a fucking fish. He wondered what he would do once he returned to Toronto soon. He had a pool up there, though; perhaps this wasn't any more unusual than what he was already used to. "Not just yet; I need to check my email first and make a few calls. Why don't you go upstairs and get dressed first? It shouldn't take very long."

"Why don't I fix a couple pieces of toast and I'll go out with you, Gus?" Justin volunteered as he scooted back from his chair. He flushed as Brian fixed him with a grateful smile and reached to briefly squeeze his hand in gratitude before he stood up and grabbed his partner's mug and Gus's bowl and spoon to take them over to the sink. Brian watched Justin take his son's hand and lead him toward the hallway to go help him change, lost deep in thought.

* * *

_Two Days Later_

Brian shut the back gate of the rental SUV with a relieved sigh. "I think that's all of it," he announced as Lindsay came up to stand beside him. He wiped his hands on his denim-clad thighs as Lindsay placed her hand on his shoulder. "One more thing and we would have had to leave Mel in town," he said with an exaggerated shudder.

"I could swear that dog is going home with a lot more stuff than he brought with him," Lindsay observed with amusement. Somehow from the time Tricky had arrived, he had managed to obtain a new memory foam, monogrammed dog bed, a couple of new scarves - one that said 'dog hero' on it and another that simply said "Cujo" - along with several new toys, including a brand new clone of the infamous, obnoxious stuffed "Moo Moo," as Gus liked to call it, not to mention a couple 40-lb. bags of the most expensive kibble dog food only available at pet food specialty stores. It was a good thing, then, that she and Mel, who was presently visiting some of her former colleagues at her old law firm, were driving back home to Toronto rather than flying. "I can't thank you and Justin enough for taking care of him when he was bitten, Brian; if anything had happened to him, Gus would have been heartbroken. I hope he wasn't too much trouble."

Brian snorted as he watched Tricky come scampering out of the house with Gus running along after him; the dog had some sort of pearlescent-type object trailing out of his mouth that Brian didn't recognize at first. When he did, however, his eyes darkened in dismay. "That damn dog! He's found my favorite anal beads!"

"Tricky! Come back here!" Gus shouted as he ran after him, but the dog merely ran around excitedly in circles, his tail held high as he took great delight in playing keep away from his young master. Lindsay laughed as Brian took off at a run straight toward the dog and fell with a sort of headfirst-slide-into-first-base motion as he lunged for the sex toy and came up empty, finding himself stomach down on the grass as Tricky barked boisterously in canine glee. Finally, Justin emerged from the house with the dog's retractable leash and a big Busy Bone, which caused Tricky to trot up and promptly drop his treasure in place of the edible treat as Justin clamped the leash onto his 'Superdog' collar before he could run off again.

Gus walked over to scoop up the drool-drenched object as he turned to eye his father in puzzlement. "What's this, Daddy?" he asked innocently as he examined the shiny set of three beads of different sizes.

Justin had the common decency to blush, Lindsay noted, but Brian merely smirked as he told his son, "It's one of your Poppa's favorite exercise toys, Gus. It's to do massages with when he's been working hard," he explained as he winked over at Justin. Gus turned the object over a couple of times before he shrugged and handed it to his father as Justin turned an even darker shade of red.

"I'd rather go swimming," Gus decided as he turned to his mother. "Can we get in the pool when we get home, Mommy?"

Lindsay sighed softly, similar in reaction to Brian's the other day as she said in resignation, "We'll see how warm it is when we get home, okay? Now we'd better get going so we can pick up your Mama and say goodbye to Grandma Debbie and Grandma Jennifer, okay? Say goodbye to Justin and your father, Honey, and let's get Tricky in the car. We have a pretty long drive ahead of us and it's getting late."

Gus nodded as he walked up to his father and Justin who were now standing side by side next to the car's passenger side door, which was open. Justin still held firmly onto Tricky's leash, making sure the dog didn't leave them with one final escapade before he could be placed into the car. Like Brian, he was enormously relieved that Tricky was pretty much recovered from the snake bite, but he was not going to take any chances that the dog could get away from them and cause any more havoc.

He felt a lump form in his throat as Gus approached them and he watched Brian reach out and scoop the boy up into his arms; he thought he saw Brian tear up slightly as he heard his partner say in a choked-up voice, "You come back and see us again soon, Sonny Boy; okay?" He saw him hug Gus close to his chest as the little boy reached around with his arms to hug his father's neck tightly for several seconds before Brian pulled back to give his son a kiss on the cheek. His partner looked down at Tricky then, whose luminous eyes were staring up at him; his tail began to swish back and forth on the ground as Brian shook his head at him. He couldn't believe his ears when he heard Brian add more softly, "_Both _of you."

As Brian lowered his son gently to the ground, Gus walked over to Justin, who knelt down to hug the child at face level, Gus repeating the same action with him as he wound his little arms around Justin's neck and nuzzled his cheek with a kiss.

"Bye, Buddy," Justin whispered, his eyes glistening with tears of sadness over having to part with the child who had become a son to him. "We'll see you both again soon. And your father and I will call you tonight on the computer, okay? You have a safe trip back home."

Gus nodded as Justin guided Tricky over to the car's open door; just as Tricky was about to jump inside, Brian suddenly called out, "Wait a minute." Justin turned, Tricky sitting up by his side, as Brian walked over and knelt down in front of the dog. "How about a handshake for the road, partner?" he murmured as the dog obediently held out his paw and Brian shook it. "Take good care of our little man here, okay?" he asked as the dog suddenly gave him a long, slobbery lick on his face as Brian flinched in response.

Justin laughed at the annoyed look on Brian's face as he stood up and wiped the drool from his face with the back of his denim shirt. "Some things never change," he muttered as Justin unlocked his leash from the collar and the dog jumped inside. Gus followed directly behind him as he sat down in a booster seat.

Lindsay smiled at her two friends as she said her goodbyes as well and with a hug of gratitude to both of them, she settled in behind the driver's side and started the SUV. She noticed the slightly melancholy look on her oldest and dearest friend's face as she whispered through the open window, "They'll be back before you know it, Brian."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Brian muttered, but Lindsay wasn't fooled for one minute.

"I think your bark is worse than your bite, Mr. Kinney," she said as she grinned at Justin, who nodded. "I'll give your best to Mel," she added with a laugh. "See you."

Brian and Justin nodded as they waved to Gus in the backseat, Tricky's head sticking out the half-open window as they drove away. They heard the dog give out a couple of yips on the way out before they finally turned onto the main road and were soon out of sight.

"Well, I'm glad that's over, Sunshine," Brian commented, but his tone belied his statement; Justin thought he detected a distinctive sort of sorrow in his partner's voice.

"Now your life can finally get back to normal," Justin remarked, deciding to play along.

As they walked back into the house arm in arm, Brian snorted. "Sunshine, with both you _and _Cujo in my life, it will _never, ever _be _normal_." He stopped to turn Justin in his arms and place his hands on his shoulders to add softly, "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

_One Week Later - Saturday Evening_

Justin lay on his studio bed, deep in thought. Ever since he had heard Brian making that comment to Gus over the breakfast table about marrying him, he found that he couldn't get it out of his mind. Brian had nearly worn him out lately with the frequency and duration of their lovemaking, perhaps in an attempt to make up for lost time now that there were no interruptions. And the first place where Brian insisted on getting 'reacquainted' was on this new bed that he had made sure was installed in the far corner of his studio, complete with a large skylight overhead to allow more light into the room. It was just one more way in which Brian subtly showed how much he loved him.

He held his left hand up, envisioning what it would look like to see a special band of metal gleaming off the sunlight pouring in through the skylight. He curled his hand into a fist and dropped it to his side in frustration. Why did he keep torturing himself this way? What difference did it make if they had the official commitment of their love written down on a legal piece of paper or not or had the symbol of their love nestled snugly on his ring finger?

But somehow it did; oh, it didn't change his love for Brian at all, but it came down to pride. He was _proud_ of how his and Brian's love had grown and evolved over the past few years; he was _proud_ of his partner's accomplishments in the business world and how much of a great father he had become. He was _proud _of how Brian always stood up for his friends in so many ways without asking for any credit and how he held fast to his principles and didn't back down. And most of all, he was so fucking proud to be his partner, and he wanted everyone else to know how proud he was. And to him, the best and most visible sign to show that pride was with his wedding ring.

He turned on his side to pull open the nightstand drawer next to the bed, retrieving the object that he had discovered in Brian's top dresser drawer the other day when he was looking for some socks to borrow (once more he had used all of his own without taking the time to wash any, so he was rooting in his partner's drawers for some of his). He was stunned when he found the instantly recognizable box, opening it up to discover that both rings were still inside. He had swallowed the lump in his throat over the memories those rings evoked - both happiness as well as a certain degree of unfulfilled longing - as he had pulled the smaller band from its slot before placing the box and other ring back into Brian's sock drawer. Now, he held the ring up between his thumb and index finger so it hit the sunlight perfectly, causing a prism of color to bloom on the nearby crystal base of an impressionistic sculpture that he had purchased on a business trip to Boston a couple of months ago that he had currently displayed on a window ledge.

"Damn it, Brian!" he growled as he impetuously slipped it on his finger and held it up to admire it. "Why are you so stubborn?" _Maybe I'll just have to take matters into my own hands and give you a little push_, he thought as he reached over to retrieve his cell phone next to him on the mattress. He smiled with a mixture of anticipation as well as nervousness as he began to tap out his message...

* * *

_Same Time - Brian's Attic Office_

Brian was presently so absorbed in his review of his art department's newest campaign for the Thompson Electronics account that the pinging of his cell phone nearby in the silence startled him slightly. Since his son and Tricky had returned to Toronto, the house was almost _too _quiet; it was like going from a three-ring circus to a funeral visitation, and he found that in an odd way he missed some of the chaos that had constantly ensued around Gus and especially Tricky. But one thing he _didn't_ miss were all the times he and Justin had tried to find some private time together, only to be interrupted time and time again by whatever the Crisis of the Day was. He had really missed being with him - in every sense of the word - and had practically been wearing him out lately trying to make up for lost time. Something told him, though, as he heard the familiar strains of the unique ringtone he had downloaded just for his partner's text messages as a joke - _"Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me _- that Justin wasn't particularly complaining.

He smiled as he reached over to read the message: _Too much work and not enough play makes Brian a dull boy; come and have dinner with me._

Brian punched in his reply: _I am NEVER dull. But what's on the menu?  
_

His cock twitched as he received the response he was hoping for: _Me. Care to eat my ass?_

Brian smirked as he tapped in: _I'll be right there - don't start without me._

_Hurry_, was the prompt answer. _It's getting really hot in here._

Brian grinned as he quickly shut his laptop down and scooted back from his seat. Patience was not one of Justin's strongest virtues, a fact for which he was profoundly grateful.

* * *

_Five Minutes Later_

Brian opened the door to the aroma of incense burning; Justin claimed that it helps him to focus on his painting, espousing some bullshit that using all of his senses heightened his creativity. All Brian knew was that whenever he lit some of it, it meant he was in for one hell of a fucking session with his beautiful, horny little spitfire which was just fine with him. A quick look around didn't find any obvious signs of his partner, but he could definitely tell he was there somewhere; over by the wall of windows that Justin always loved to paint by to take advantage of the sunlight that constantly washed the room with the perfect amount of natural light was a still-wet portrait he didn't even know Justin had been working on. He slowly walked over to admire it, instantly recognizing the subjects as his son and their own version of Lassie - aka Tricky the Super Dog. Gus and Tricky were kneeling on the front lawn, Britin in the background, as Gus hugged his dog close to him; the likenesses of both of them were astounding. What was even more incredible, though, was the detail Justin had put into the painting and the looks on their faces. As Brian studied the painting, as always he was amazed by his partner's talent; he could see every hair on Tricky's coat and the look of rapture on his son's face was caught so perfectly by Justin's mastery that his heart swelled with pride, almost as if HE had painted the portrait instead. _I know the perfect spot for this, too_, he thought to himself. Even if he had to force Justin to accept payment for it, this had to go in his office where he could gaze upon it at will. It was probably the best portrait Justin had ever painted of his son, and that was saying a lot because Gus was one of his partner's favorite subjects (after himself, of course). For now, though, there was another, more urgent matter he needed to attend to.

"Justin?" he called out softly, knowing he would receive an answer and also where it would come from.

"About fucking time," was the saucy reply as Brian grinned at the double entendre; as he walked toward the back of the studio to the white accordion partition separating Justin's workspace from the rest of the room, he began to unbutton his jeans in delicious anticipation as he quickly pulled his wife beater off his body, not wanting to waste any more time. If he knew his partner - and by now, he knew him as intimately as any man could - he knew he was definitely overdressed at the moment. Still, as he rounded the corner, his pulse began to race at the sight of Justin lying unclothed on his back, his hair tantalizingly splayed out on the navy-blue pillowcase and his knees bent, feet planted on the mattress as he stroked himself with his right hand in a slow, languid and oh-so-sexy motion.

Justin turned his head to peer over at his lover, knowing how much pleasuring himself turned Brian on; even still clothed in a faded pair of Diesel jeans, the intense stare Brian was giving him was making him hard as a rock and he knew Brian was feeling the same way. "Just in time," he whispered in a raspy sort of voice.

"I thought I told you not to start without me, young man," Brian told him as he opened his jeans and pushed them down his long legs, displaying nothing on underneath; a fact that did not escape Justin's attention as his gaze swept down past Brian's bronzed face to his flat chest and belly and then on down to his cock standing at attention just for him.

Justin flushed over the overt look of desire on his partner's face as their eyes locked on each other hungrily. He watched mesmerized as Brian's Adam's apple bobbed and he swallowed hard at the sight of his partner's tongue flicking out to wet his lips; he felt the old, familiar thrill as Brian climbed onto the bed and, lying on his side, stared into his eyes for a moment longer before his left hand came out to slowly trace a light, almost butterfly-type caress down the middle of his chest with his fingertips. The expression on Brian's face was a surprise - the easily-recognizable desire and love for him reflected there, certainly, but there seemed to be something else he couldn't quite identify, almost a vulnerability of some kind. "Brian?" he whispered, puzzled, as he reached up to place his hand on Brian's cheek and stroke it, feeling the slight stubble under his touch. "What is it?"

Brian gazed into the brilliant blue eyes, so wide and expressive in their concern for him, and his love bloomed anew for this man who knew him so well. He shook his head, however, with a soft, dismissive smile. "Nothing," he reassured him with a whisper. "Everything's fine," he added as he caught Justin's right hand in his own and grasped it firmly. He brought the hand up to his lips and softly kissed the knuckles before letting it go to gaze into his partner's eyes, finding his thoughts dwelling once more on his conversation earlier in the summer with his son. Gus was right - Justin loved him deeply, of that he had no doubt, as he loved him - but would there come a time when Justin attracted the attention of some other man who could give him maybe not what he said he needed but perhaps what he _wanted_? And if so, was he prepared for the enormous, intense pain he would feel when he saw someone else take him away from him?

Of course he already knew the answer to that question. No, he would never, _could_ never be prepared for that time, nor was he willing to even risk the possibility of losing his soulmate. He had been giving it a lot of thought - had found himself thinking about it time and time again since Gus had first broached the subject - and had finally come to a decision on a plan of action, one he was about to spring on his unsuspecting partner.

He half-climbed, half-twisted his body so he was draped over his lover's as his partner instinctively opened his legs up wider to allow him access; keeping his elbows on the mattress to prevent most of his weight from bearing down on him, he gazed down into Justin's eyes, their lips so close he could feel Justin's ragged pants against his mouth.

"Justin..." he whispered before he slowly, almost painfully met his lips for a kiss that was languid, surprising unhurried, and oh-so-tender - and also totally uncharacteristic of their normal lovemaking. The kiss became deeper, more passionate, more heartfelt as Brian's tongue slowly swiped across Justin's lower lip almost reverently a few moments later before Justin's heart exploded with love and his mouth parted to allow him sweet access.

It would be a couple of minutes before they broke apart, both men's pupils darkened with desire and beads of sweat sprinkling their foreheads, even though they had done nothing yet that would qualify as extreme exertion. Justin frowned slightly at the atypical expression on Brian's face - still loving but now almost hesitant; once more his mind began to race with worry. As Brian began to pepper soft kisses on his neck and his shoulders he used his hands to brace themselves on both sides of Brian's head and make him look him in the eyes. "All right, Brian; what's going on?"

As usual, the Brian Kinney Operating Manual sprang to life as his partner answered flippantly, "It's called fucking, Sunshine; an activity that I believe you instigated by the way." He started to resume his kissing, but Justin once more forced his head back up to look him in the eyes as Brian sighed in resignation. He knew it was coming; he had just hoped he could delay it just a bit longer before he had to confront it.

"No, it's not just _fucking_, Brian," his partner told him, his lips pursed firmly together in determination. "Something's on your mind and I want to know what it is. Until you tell me, we can just _forget _the fucking."

Brian locked gazes with his stubborn partner until, the battle of wills broken, he nodded as he twisted off his partner's body just long enough to reach down and snag his jeans from the floor. Justin watched in puzzlement, afraid for just a moment that Brian was irritated enough that he would just get up and leave, until he noticed him rummaging around in one pocket and then the other until he pulled out what he was looking for - a small, maroon, velvet box.

Justin's eyes widened as Brian, lips curled under like a little boy, sat up in the bed and looked over at him like he was going to an execution, clearly nervous.

"What... What are you doing with that?" Justin whispered, his heart pounding.

"You know what it is," Brian told him softly. "Come over here. I want to talk to you."

Now it was Justin's turn to lick his lips anxiously as he scooted up to place his back against the contemporary metal headboard of the bed; he could feel the heat of Brian's thigh against his while he watched in rapt anticipation as Brian gave him a shy sort of smile before he slowly opened the top of the jewelry box. He could hear a soft gasp of stunned surprise before Brian turned to him to say, "It's gone. What the fuck?" Just then, his eyes flickered down to Justin's left hand resting on his thigh and there was his answer - the smaller of the two bands was currently wrapped firmly around his partner's left ring finger, just like it belonged there. And he had to admit - it looked pretty damn good and to his surprise made his heart leap with both pride and happiness. Putting the jewelry box down beside him, still open, he reached over to lightly run his fingers over the metal band before he looked into his partner's eyes, which were wide with an inexplicable emotion.

"What... When...?" He sputtered out in confusion. All of sudden, even though he was renowned for his prowess of speech in winning over advertising clients, he found himself almost mute as he struggled to formulate the right words. Fortunately for him, however, his partner didn't have that problem at the moment.

"What... It's called a wedding ring. When... a couple of days ago when I was looking for some clean socks." He saw Brian smirking knowingly at him over that last part; how many times had he done that before? "I guess you didn't hide it that well this time, did you?"

Brian shook his head in self-recrimination. "I was in a hurry the other day and I guess I didn't cover it back very well." He grinned. "Normally I stuff it inside that pair of hideous wool Tartan socks you bought me a couple of years ago as a gag gift for my birthday; I know you wouldn't be caught dead wearing those." He paused for a few seconds before explaining almost in embarrassment, "I had the box out the other day when I was doing some thinking and I guess I got careless when I was putting it back away. I think it was when Gus called and I was in a hurry to come to the phone."

Justin nodded. "Well, I'm glad you were 'careless,' then," he admitted softly. He squeezed Brian's hand as he asked, "Brian, why didn't you tell me you had kept the rings all this time?"

Brian averted his eyes, still uncomfortable with this sort of conversation, even with Justin. But for once, just this time, it was crucial that he laid it all out on the line. He turned to peer over at his beautiful partner as he admitted, "I just didn't have the heart to return them."

Justin frowned as he pressed further, "Why? We had called off the wedding; we had both agreed that we didn't need the rings or any other symbols of our love to prove the way that we felt about each other."

Brian relished in the warmth of his partner's hand as he replied, "Yeah, we did. But that didn't mean that I could just return them so cavalierly. They were our _wedding rings_, Justin. Our _inscribed _wedding rings. Even if I wanted to return them - and I couldn't since they were custom made - I wouldn't have."

Justin furrowed his brows. He had been so intent on admiring the band of metal and then placing it on his finger he had never bothered to even think about an engraved inscription; after all, that would not be like Brian at all. But then again, so wasn't buying him a wedding ring, proposing, and gifting him with this mansion of a house. Was it true, though? Was this all not something Brian would ever do? Or was it possible his partner had been evolving, just like he had been?

"Go on," Brian told him softly, almost awkwardly, feeling the momentous importance of this moment. "Read it."

Justin couldn't take his eyes off Brian as he slowly slid the ring from his finger, feeling an inordinate sense of loss even though he was wearing it almost under false pretenses. Holding up the ring so it reflected off the soft glow of a nearby bedside lamp, he finally shifted his gaze to the ring and turned it at one angle and then the other until he could finally read what it said inside: _The Beginning of Forever._

His eyes misted over as he whispered, "I... I don't know what to say." He couldn't help staring at the words, so sentimental, so _romantic_.

"You can tell me why you were wearing that just now - and if you really meant what you said to me when we said goodbye," Brian told him softly. He felt the painful lump in his throat even now; that day they had had to part when Justin went to New York was one of the worst days of his life. If Justin hadn't left while he was still asleep, despite his words of encouragement to him he would have never let him go. It was all he could bear just to wake up that morning and not find his partner lying in his arms. It had felt so cold then - so fucking cold. Now, however, as he felt Justin's leg brushing against his and reaffirming that he was, indeed, back where he belonged, he knew he would never have to feel that way again. "Tell me, Justin," he urged him.

Justin glanced down at the ring in the palm of his hand, feeling the cold smoothness and heaviness of the metal against his skin. He bit his lower lip a little nervously as he raised his gaze to peer into Brian's eyes as he answered truthfully, "Yes, I meant what I said before when I told you we didn't need any rings or vows or any other signs of commitment from each other." To his surprise he thought he saw just a moment of disappointment on his partner's face before he added, "But I _want_ that, Brian; I _want_ everyone to know how proud I am to be your partner and how much I love you. And how special you are to me and to all our friends and family. I want everyone to look at this ring and feel so damn jealous that I was the one that captured your heart." He licked his lips nervously, knowing now was not the time to be deceptive but afraid of what his lover's reaction would be. "I... I heard what you said to Gus that day - in the kitchen."

"In the kitchen?"

Justin nodded. "Gus was asking you about why we weren't married if we loved each other like he did Tricky."

Brian sighed. "You heard that?"

Justin nodded again. "Yeah. Brian, did you mean what you said about marrying me that day?"

"Well, I _have _kind of gotten used to having you around all the time," was the flippant reply.

But Justin would have none of that as he eyes flashed in aggravation. "Don't be glib with me, Brian! Tell me what you really want! How you really feel! Were you just spouting that nonsense for Gus's sake to satisfy him? Or did you really mean it?"

Justin held his breath until he watched Brian reach over after a few, tense seconds and take the ring out of his palm, feeling a ticklish sensation as his partner's fingertips grazed his skin. He watched, wide-eyed, as Brian took his left hand in his, bringing the ring to his lips to kiss it, before he reached over and slowly but surely slid the metal band down his left ring finger and placed Justin's hand down gently on his stomach. He then reached over and retrieved the jewelry box lying next to him and plucked out the remaining ring, dropping the box back onto the mattress before handing the ring to Justin almost shyly.

Instantly understanding what he was being instructed to do and his heart soaring, Justin took the ring as he, too, brought it up to his lips to kiss it gently before he reached over and grasped Brian's left hand with his, using his spare hand to smoothly slide the larger band down Brian's ring finger in an exact duplication of his partner's action. Unlike Brian, however, he continued to clutch Brian's hand as his eyes lifted to meet his. "Are you sure?" he asked him, needing to know and realizing that Brian would be truthful with him just like he always had been.

To his joy, Brian smiled as he nodded. "When you do want _forever _to begin? Name the date."

But Justin surprised him slightly by shaking his head. He understood, however, when his partner twisted his body and moved to straddle his legs, his paler limbs contrasting dramatically with the navy-blue satin sheets as he placed his knees on either side of Brian's thighs as he sat and peered down at him. "That can wait... Until we _celebrate_."

Brian reached up to grasp Justin's upper arms to help brace him as his partner - now fiancé - leaned down to kiss him. Just before he could, however, Brian murmured against his lips, "Just promise me one thing, Sunshine."

"Anything," was the breathless reply as he purposely squirmed on Brian's legs. "But hurry - I'm horny as hell."

"No more mooing while we fuck."

* * *

_Two Weeks Later - Epilogue_

Brian was lying lazily on Justin's bed, his legs crossed at the ankles as he smoked a joint and watched the wispy tendrils of smoke rise into the air. Since he and Justin had become 'unofficially' engaged a few weeks ago, he found that nothing had really changed. He was still the same, Justin was still the same - in fact, his talented partner was busy at the moment after a round of fucking working on his newest commissioned work - a piece requested by the Pittsburgh Philharmonic Orchestra to go in the lobby of their newly remodeled cultural center; quite a prestigious commission, to Justin's credit and Brian's enormous pride. Yes, they were going to be married next spring - but for now, they carried on much as they had before. Brian did notice Justin stopping periodically when he didn't know he was watching to gaze down at the ring on his finger; and the only time he ever slipped it off was when he worked, not wanting to get it smeared with paint. The first time he had taken it off, Brian had noticed how torn he appeared over having to part with it as he carefully laid it down on his center island in the studio; the next day when Justin awoke, he found a delicate gold chain lying on his bed pillow when he returned from the shower, Brian long gone to work at Kinnetik. He knew instantly what it was for, though, and from then on whenever he had to remove it from his finger, it always found its way to the chain that he constantly wore around his neck near his heart.

"How much longer, Picasso?" Brian drawled from the bed. "My dick's about to fall off back here."

"Tell your dick that it will have to wait a few hours until I'm done painting."

"Cheeky twat," Brian retorted as he took another drag. He had already known the answer before he asked; nothing would pull Justin away from his work until he was done. Right up there with his passion for him was his dedication to his work. He wasn't the _only_ one that was driven when it came to doing something right; while it could be frustrating at times, he also greatly admired that in Justin.

The ringing of the landline phone nearby brought him out of his reverie; to his consternation he had found out that when they moved out to Britin, they did not have a reliable cellphone signal at times, so they had been forced to keep a landline phone to ensure all business calls were received. The phone rang once, twice, three times before Brian dryly commented, "Oh, that's okay; I'll get the phone."

"Asshole," was the remark as Brian grinned and reached to pick up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Uh... Mr. Taylor?" A deep, female voice asked tentatively.

"No, it's Brian Kinney."

"Oh! Mr. Kinney! I didn't recognize your voice."

Brian rolled his eyes; that made two of them, because the voice was not familiar at all to him. He was about to ask who the fuck it was when the caller identified herself.

"This is Sandra Cranston, your next-door neighbor."

Brian could hear a clattering noise coming from the other side of the white partition and hoped Justin hadn't spilled a bunch of paint on the new hardwood floor as he replied, "Yeah, you're Sassy's owner."

"Sadie," Sandra told him.

"Yeah... Okay. The dog climber."

"Right," she said with a sort of snort. There was a brief hesitation before she continued, "Uh, Mr. Kinney, we have a slight problem."

"Oh? Did she get loose again? I haven't seen her around here, if that's what you're asking."

There was a short pause on the other end again before Sandra Cranston answered. "Uh, no, that's not why I'm calling."

Brian sighed. "Then how can I help you?" _Were they going to have to play twenty questions or what?_ His neighbor's next words, however, made that unnecessary as her purpose became crystal clear.

"Mr. Kinney, how would you like an addition to the family?"

_Shit._

* * *

Chapter End Notes:

_Thank you for reading Tricky's latest adventure! I do hope you enjoyed it. Something tells me he may be back at some point. And for those of you waiting for an update to "Heart's Desire," I apologize for the delay. I'll try to make up for it with a nice, long update next. Thanks again for all the support and the comments.:) And thank you, also, to Boriqua522 for being my beta on this story.  
_


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